Donepezil User Reviews & Ratings (Page 3)

• Bir...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 26, 2018

Donepezil for Alzheimer's Disease "I was taking Aricept to help preserve my memory, due to the fact that I am 46 years old. I had brain surgery in 2009 to prevent seizures, and now my memory is very bad. I took this medicine for about 2 months, but the vivid dreams and leg cramps were just too much to handle. I am trying a new Alzheimer's medicine now. I believe every medicine has side effects, we just have to pick and choose!"

• Dai...
• October 22, 2016

For Mild Cognitive Impairment "At 53, this has helped me so much to stop me from losing any more of my memory. Due to strokes, brain aneurysms, and many surgeries from blocked arteries. I am a 24-year disabled medical administrator. Been very hard. I also take Namenda. These meds have been a blessing to me."

• KMP...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 2, 2022

Donepezil for Alzheimer's Disease "My dad was diagnosed with dementia and was prescribed Aricept. His demeanor changed to extremely agitated and almost violent. I had to stop giving it to him. It did nothing to help with his memory. I saw only negative impact on him from taking this drug."

• crw...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 13, 2018

For Mild Cognitive Impairment "I am lucky to have survived this medication. The prescribing doctor did not bother to research drug reactions and left me on Trazodone for insomnia. I realized there was a problem, but only lowered Trazodone from 300 mg to 100 mg because of intense insomnia. I was in the nuthouse 3 times on this drug, and no one questioned Aricept as the cause. I was taken off Aricept in May of 2017 for muscle spasms and have been fine ever since."

• Mar...
• August 31, 2016

For Alzheimer's Disease "My mother-in-law was on this drug for 2 months. While her short-term memory continued to fail, she also seemed more confused. We took her off, and she has started to seem less confused-this is week 3 without. She has also experienced diarrhea and has lost weight. I am not sure there is a reliable study that can tell how well this drug might work for some because everyone's disease is different. We can't go back and see how they would have done without the drug. We will not be putting her back on."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 12, 2012

For Alzheimer's Disease "Our mother has been on this medicine for some time now and I'm not sure if it's helping or not. She gets angry all the time and sees things and people. She wants to go home even when she is home and doesn't understand why she can't see her family. She seems to be stuck at this stage and isn't moving forward (not getting better, not getting worse). She is losing weight, not sleeping, and falling a lot. I don't know what to do: take her off or leave her on it."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 17, 2012

For Mild Cognitive Impairment "My spouse has been taking donepezil for about three months. I notice some stability in her memory. The medicine does prevent her from sleeping normally. I notice she is restless for about two to three hours after taking it. She will be taking Aricept 10 mg starting today, 17 Aug 2012. I'm hoping that the medicine will continue to help her."

• Gee...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 6, 2018

For Mild Cognitive Impairment "My husband has been on Aricept 5 mg nightly for about 6 weeks for memory loss related to anesthesia during past surgery. He has not felt well since he started. He has cramps in his feet at night, profuse sweating, fatigue, and weakness. Lightheaded when he stands and passed out and had a seizure 2 days ago. His memory loss and anxiety actually got worse on the med. I took him off the med today and contacted the doctor, who agrees with my decision. We will wait now and see if he improves. It’s very frightening what these meds can do to your physical and mental well-being."

• eye...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 23, 2014

For Lewy Body Dementia "Within a week of starting on 1/2 5 mg pill, Aricept generic, my spouse's verbalization improved to the point where others noticed and volunteered a positive comment. Now on the full 5 mg pill per day, there are no side effects. And the psychoses have become fewer, shorter lasting, and less bizarre. The long and short term memory, though, has neither improved nor worsened. And my spouse has virtually no spatial or temporal awareness, which is no better or worse than before the meds."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 4, 2017

For Alzheimer's Disease "I took my father off this medicine. Really awful side effects, he had a hard time controlling his bowel, and it wreaked havoc on his extremities. The drug caused all his hands and fingers to lock up, and he also experienced really painful cramps in his legs and feet."

• mar...
• February 20, 2019

For Mild Cognitive Impairment "My boyfriend, who is active, working hard, last generation of French Canadian lumberjacks, during his annual physical, told the doctor about mild memory lapses, probably age-related. The doctor diagnosed him immediately with dementia and gave this terror drug. My boyfriend took 10 mg twice at breakfast, he got sicker and sicker, he could not function, threw up, it felt like they messed with his head. Also, he was nauseous, light-headed, etc. We went to the ER, thank goodness, they said adverse reaction, plenty of fluid to pee it out, but he is still not well. So he switched doctors immediately, it could have cost him his life. Folks, be careful out there, there are alternatives. Check holistic doctors. Doctors get paid to give meds."

• Liz...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 23, 2020

For Mild Cognitive Impairment "I have bipolar disorder and am 50 years old. I noticed I had zero recall, disorientation, and difficulty with words. My family doctor sent me to a neuro, where I got extensive testing. I was diagnosed with ADHD and CMI, so I started with a 5 mg dose of donepezil and noticed a huge difference within 2-3 weeks. I had some mild leg cramping and diarrhea. After 2 months and a neuro visit, we increased to 10 mg. I have been on it for one month. I do not notice any difference except now I am having dreams, I haven’t had a dream in over a year, and they may not be pleasant. I talk to neuro in another month, but so far, this medicine is great."

• Joh...
• February 28, 2021

For Mild Cognitive Impairment "Awful pills. My dad took them for 4 days, after which we knew he couldn't continue with them. He was so out of it, stumbling around without his glasses on, and he is nowhere near as bad normally. He forgets things now and again, but this made him much worse."

• Nan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 11, 2017

For Mild Cognitive Impairment "I have a traumatic brain injury (TBI), and donepezil helps to be in control of my memories. This medication is working so far. I don't have to write everything down. It has helped and was prescribed by my neurologist. Thank you."

• NCd...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 27, 2017

For Alzheimer's Disease "My dad has been on it for about five months, and he has mild dementia. Normally slow to anger and hates confrontation. He is in his nineties, and after taking the medicine, says he needs to be 'locked up' because he is afraid he will do something terrible. Bad nightmares, irritability, and some muscle pain. Told him to throw the stuff out, and we will see if there is improvement."

• jka...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 23, 2018

For Alzheimer's Disease "My husband was put on donepezil about 5 years ago. He was started on 10 mgs, but he started to be unsteady and fell a few times. He was then put on to 5 mgs and has been on this nearly the whole time. However, he was diagnosed with asthma and then COPD. He was extremely unwell for over a year, and I thought he was going to die. I consulted with his doctor, and we agreed we could try stopping the donepezil. That was nearly a year ago. Although he still takes medication once a day for the COPD, it has never come back. His memory is poor, but he is still active, and thankfully, no recurrence of the breathing problems."

• Ben...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 28, 2017

For Mild Cognitive Impairment "Awful experience! Nightmare. Dreaming++ fell out of bed and hit my head, causing bleeding. Had to see GP. Not to take it. Now off the drug completely and feeling much better. Thought to have dementia a year ago, but diagnosis is now suspect."

• Ber...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 15, 2018

For Mild Cognitive Impairment "A friend was commenced on this drug and almost immediately experienced a rapid decline in cognitive impairment. Her short-term memory, her orientation to place and time both seemed to worsen, and she was notably more anxious."

• Wat...
• January 14, 2018

For Mild Cognitive Impairment "85-year-old male was given this drug in the hospital by Dr. Two pills, and he turned into an absolute zombie. Slurred speech and hallucinations. We stopped it immediately. 104-hour half-life. Worst week of our lives."

• Lyn...
• July 15, 2017

For Alzheimer's Disease "My mum has been on donepezil for 2 years. Over the past 6 months, her appetite had deteriorated, she's losing weight, getting aggressive, and she was falling a lot. I have recently discovered she wasn't taking her pills and hiding them in her gums and pretending to swallow, then, when I moved away, she was taking them out of her mouth and putting them in the bin. She's 82. I have changed the routine of nighttime meds to morning, as this seems easier. Without this pill, 10 mg a day, she deteriorates badly. There is a massive difference in her vocabulary and attitude more than anything else. For those bad comments talking about the drug when it hasn't been taken for at least 12 weeks, please ignore. This needs to be given time to work."

• Nin...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 8, 2023

For Mild Cognitive Impairment "Prescribed for short-term memory loss after a stroke focused in the right occipital lobe with trauma to the temporal and thalamus. Was very forgetful, even forgetting the beginning of a sentence before I finished it. Neurologist was very careful about prescribing, had me take it at night. My memory improved, and my cognitive abilities seemed to revert to normal, allowing me to return to work at the high level I was previously performing. I would fade intellectually in the afternoon, so I switched to taking it in the morning and worked normally all day. I am a 70-year-old Southern European descent male taking 5 mg. No side effects, so I am luckier than some others."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 21, 2025

Donepezil for Alzheimer's Disease "I have been recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and Aricept has been very helpful, and I have easily tolerated this medication. I’m grateful. I am not yet on the larger daily dose, but I am looking forward to that."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 23, 2019

For Mild Cognitive Impairment "I had TBI (traumatic brain injury) and have had a worse and worse time getting along in doing daily things, this medication does help some. It is much better than nothing at all. I know that depending on what other medications and conditions, serious side effects can happen. I have asthma and COPD, but I know how to treat that with various medications. A rescue inhaler is not enough, but I have other medications that are quite effective, including Combivent. There are many interactions, and I have been told by others that even genetics can cause adverse reactions with this medication. So far, the worst thing has been headaches, and with this, it is important to pay attention to the drug interactions to avoid problems. The other thing that I like about this medication is the cost, as unlike some of the other medications, this is very inexpensive."

• Cap...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• May 11, 2016

For Alzheimer's Disease "Very good results for my mom with vascular dementia. Figure it gave 3-4 more years with her still cognitive. Some can take with results, some not so much. We were able to travel better after this medication, for sure."

• Car...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 30, 2020

For Lewy Body Dementia "Donepezil has been a miracle drug for my husband, who was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia last year. Over the past 6 months, he had declined a lot, with constant hallucinations and incoherent speech. He didn't recognize me most of the time. It had reached the point where I couldn't provide the care he needed and was considering assisted living. After the doctor prescribed donepezil 5 mg, my husband started improving within days. He was able to speak clearly again, and his hallucinations diminished considerably. He now recognizes me all the time! The side effects were minimal, just some nausea the first week. I hadn't had high hopes, so I was amazed at the difference. I don't know how long this improvement will last, but I am grateful for every day. I wish everyone with LBD could get a correct diagnosis and then try donepezil."