PatientsLikeMe : Aricept (donepezil) Treatment Report

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Taking Aricept
33 Patients currently take Aricept
10 Patients stopped taking Aricept
babygirlnbooboo Sex: F Sensation: None Overall: None Cognition: moderate Vision: none Speech: none Swallowing: none Upper limb: none Walking: none See profile babygirlnbooboo 5mg daily since Aug 11, 2008
Miksirch Sex: F Sensation: Moderate Overall: Moderate Cognition: moderate Vision: moderate Speech: moderate Swallowing: mild Upper limb: moderate Walking: moderate See profile Miksirch 10mg daily since Nov 25, 2008
stillvisions Sex: M Sensation: Moderate Overall: Moderate Cognition: moderate Vision: moderate Speech: mild Swallowing: moderate Upper limb: moderate Walking: moderate See profile stillvisions 10mg daily since Dec 03, 2007

What is Aricept? Aricept, the brand name for donepezil, is an aceytlcholineserase inhibitor used in the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease. It is considered a potentially useful treatment for other neurological conditions including ALS. The patent for Aricept expires in November 2010.

See more information, including instructions, precautions, side effects, and interactions.

Jump to:: Reasons Taken; Dosages; Duration; Patient Evaluations

Reasons Taken

43 patients in the community are taking or have taken Aricept.

Reason	# Patients	Percentage of patients
Brain fog	22	51%
Other	8	18%
Memory lapses ("brain blinks")	6	13%
disease-related symptoms	2	4%
Cognition	2	4%
Cognitive confusion	1	2%
MS dementia (subcortical dementia)	1	2%
Assistive communication	1	2%

Dosages

Based on the patients currently taking Aricept.

0 mg Daily	5 mg Daily	10 mg Daily
4	6	23

Duration

How long current patients have been taking Aricept or how long patients were taking Aricept before stopping.

Currently taking Aricept

0-1 month	1-3 months	3-6 months	6 months-1year	1-2 years	2 years or more
0	3	2	6	5	8

Stopped taking Aricept

0-1 month	1-3 months	3-6 months	6 months-1year	1-2 years	2 years or more
1	5	1	0	1	2

Why Patients Stopped Taking Aricept (multiple reasons could be selected)
Reason	# Patients	Percentage of patients
Did not seem to work	3	30%
Side effects too severe	3	30%
Expense	2	20%
Personal research	1	10%
Doctor's advice	1	10%
Other	1	10%

Patient Reported Evaluations

Results from 3 patient evaluations. See the overall results and all individual evaluations.

Efficacy (Effect based on reason taken)

Moderate	50%	1
Slight	50%	1

Brain fog

Side-effects (as an overall problem)

Severe	0%	0
Moderate	67%	2
Mild	33%	1
None	0%	0

Top reported side-effects include: Sleep problems, Mood swings, Diarrhea

Summary results are based on 3 individual responses. For more information, see overall results for Adherence, Burden and Cost.

Individual Patient Reported Evaluations (1 of 3)

Miksirch

Sex: F

Sensation: Moderate

Overall: Moderate

Cognition: moderate

Vision: moderate

Speech: moderate

Swallowing: mild

Upper limb: moderate

Walking: moderate

See profile
by Miksirch
Dec 15, 2008