Could I share some experiences with others who have had their loved ones put on either Reminyl or Aricept? Mum has been taking Reminyl now for 3 weeks (only on one daily at the moment) but it is making her pretty sick more often than not. I have tried giving her the tablet on a morning and also at night but it makes no difference so very reluctantly I am going to have to stop them. The alternative was Aricept - which having read up about the side effects sickness is also a common problem here. Feeling very disappointed as it's my lifeline at the moment. Would be interested for any feedback with both medications.
Reminyl and Aricept
- Thread starter ElaineW
- Start date
Hi, I have no knowledge of Reminyl, sorry. My husband has had Aricept from the day we were told of his diagnosis and had no problems at all. He has now been on it for well over 7 years.
Jay
Jay
Hello Elaine, can only give you my mums experience of Aricept, she took it in the mornings(with her usual pills so she would not forget) and she did have a reaction after a few days, dizzy - confused, advised for mum to take it night and that worked, indeed it can be a lifeline if (apart from a few hiccups in first taking) it works as, it does not work for everyone and it can take a while to kick in
So good luck and hope you can get mum something that will not make her so sick.
Keep posting
Best wishes
Chris
So good luck and hope you can get mum something that will not make her so sick.
Keep posting
Best wishes
Chris
Don't be put off trying Aricept. The side effects you are worried about are common to all three of the types of this drug - they all work in approximately the same way, although the exact mechanism is slightly different. The leaflets will all say the same thing.
Indeed, things like nausea or stomach upsets are extremely common side effects and many drugs will list them as potential problems, but most people will not experience them, a few will have them but temporarily and mild, a very few will have severe and persistent side-effects which warrants assessment by a doctor.
Just because your mum has experienced problems with Reminyl does not mean that she will get them with Aricept, however.
It is common practise to switch to one of the other two available drugs if Reminyl proves to be unsuitable.
The usual pathway is to try Aricept first, because it is the cheapest to make and is the least likely to cause side effects. If that doesn't work out, then Reminyl or Exelon can be tried.
It is also possible to have Exelon in patch form. This delivers the drug in a slow, steady day through the day, and for some people this can also help to reduce side-effects.
So please don't give up yet! There are lots of things that can be tried.
Sickness that has persisted for more than a couple of weeks is really too long. I would go back to whoever prescribed the Reminyl, or to your mum's GP.
Usually, this sort of side effect is fairly rare and mild, and abates after the forst week or two. This is called building a tolerance. Sometimes it is necessary to prescribe anti-nausea medication whilst this happens, but if the effects are severe or persistent then it is a sign the drug may be unsuitable, in which case, it will be stopped and possibly a different one tried.
Most patients are started with a half dose for a month to six weeks, this reduces the possibility of side effects and their severity if they do occur, and allows them to build up a tolerance before trying the full dose. This process is sometimes referred to as "titration"
As I said, if your mum is still getting sickness three weeks in to the half dose settling in period, then I would go to her GP. They can then decide what to do for the best.
Indeed, things like nausea or stomach upsets are extremely common side effects and many drugs will list them as potential problems, but most people will not experience them, a few will have them but temporarily and mild, a very few will have severe and persistent side-effects which warrants assessment by a doctor.
Just because your mum has experienced problems with Reminyl does not mean that she will get them with Aricept, however.
It is common practise to switch to one of the other two available drugs if Reminyl proves to be unsuitable.
The usual pathway is to try Aricept first, because it is the cheapest to make and is the least likely to cause side effects. If that doesn't work out, then Reminyl or Exelon can be tried.
It is also possible to have Exelon in patch form. This delivers the drug in a slow, steady day through the day, and for some people this can also help to reduce side-effects.
So please don't give up yet! There are lots of things that can be tried.
Sickness that has persisted for more than a couple of weeks is really too long. I would go back to whoever prescribed the Reminyl, or to your mum's GP.
Usually, this sort of side effect is fairly rare and mild, and abates after the forst week or two. This is called building a tolerance. Sometimes it is necessary to prescribe anti-nausea medication whilst this happens, but if the effects are severe or persistent then it is a sign the drug may be unsuitable, in which case, it will be stopped and possibly a different one tried.
Most patients are started with a half dose for a month to six weeks, this reduces the possibility of side effects and their severity if they do occur, and allows them to build up a tolerance before trying the full dose. This process is sometimes referred to as "titration"
As I said, if your mum is still getting sickness three weeks in to the half dose settling in period, then I would go to her GP. They can then decide what to do for the best.
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My husband has been on Aricept for 3 and a half years with no problems. Only minor side effect for first few weeks was vivid dreams, but now he says he hasn't had a dream in ages! The drug has worked very well and he noticably improved for the first couple of years, but unfortunately is slowly declining again now, but without it he would probably be much worse.
My partner has been on Aricept since diagnosis (just over 2 years). He has had a lot of problems with nausea since then (never had problems before). I have no idea if the Aricept has helped with the AD but his decline seems pretty rapid to me. Essentially you have no idea if it is of any use because you would have to wind back time, not give the same person the drug then measure their abilities after a time span. I don't think you can compare one person with another with this disease.
Mum started on Aricept but we found that she was having "bad dreams" we persisted but they got worse and in the end she just flatly refused to take them so I went back to see the doctor and we tried Reminyl, so far no problems and she is on the full dose now. I know there are about 4 options of different medication, sorry I don't know what the others are but I think it's just a matter of trying until you find the one that is compatible
Mu Mum, when started on Aricept, had bad dreams from the start. After the first night she said she couldn't take that tablet again as there had been horses galloping round her room all night!! We thought it couldn't come on so quickly and didn't really listen but from reading here it seems she was right.
Then she had sickness so we decided to stop them. I thought that her quality of life without was better. She's now on memantine (Ebixa) which is tolerated well but it's hard to know if it has made any real difference. As someone else said we'll never know what they would've been like without.
Then she had sickness so we decided to stop them. I thought that her quality of life without was better. She's now on memantine (Ebixa) which is tolerated well but it's hard to know if it has made any real difference. As someone else said we'll never know what they would've been like without.
Thank you all so much for your very interesting feedback. Hopefully she will give Aricept a go just hope she does not get the dreams that so many of you mention and hopefully I will get her on the medication that suits and more importantly helps with this horrible disease.. I do appreciate that all drugs have significant side effects and it's just a matter of finding the right one that suits but it can't come soon enough. I just long for a little bit of my mum back. Thanks you all so much for your contribution to my query xx
. I do appreciate that all drugs have significant side effects and it's just a matter of finding the right one that suits but it can't come soon enough. I just long for a little bit of my mum back. Thanks you all so much for your contribution to my query xx
