Aricept and Confusion: What Users Say

• cjr...
• September 13, 2010

For Alzheimer's Disease "Two years ago my mom used 5mg of Aricept for one month. She became almost a total zombie taking this medicine. She would not get out of bed, and her mind was a lot worse than before she started taking it. A month ago, she was put on 10mg of Aricept, and after two doses, she was taken to the hospital. She was totally out of control and knew nothing of what was going on. It is not for everyone."

• San...
• January 2, 2019

For Alzheimer's Disease "My mother was only on 0.5 mg but was confused and strange on it. She was on it for two weeks until finally I took her off. She has never been the same since. She used to follow a routine. Now her brain is terrible. It makes me sick to my stomach how much this drug deteriorated my mother. She got a throat infection and a finger infection during that time. If you read the fine print, 13% of people get an infection on it. But they say, I don't believe them, that 12% get an infection on placebo, making it 1% extra people that get an infection. Well then my mom was the 1% and had to go on antibiotics that screwed her system up too. I really feel sick we gave her this drug."

• Peh...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 7, 2017

For Alzheimer's Disease "My mother was on this medication for 2 weeks for early stages of Alzheimer's. The first week, the family thought we could see noticeable improvement. By the end of the 2nd week, she was confused and defecating in her hand, which she had never done before. The doctor discontinued it and after a few days, she was back to where she was before starting the med. My advice is to watch your loved one closely for side effects."

• Bob...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 20, 2019

For Alzheimer's Disease "Update, now on 10 mg of Aricept for Alzheimer's. Memory has improved a bit but still some confusion when driving. Overall, I feel like it is helping. Can now finish most sentences, but my mind still wanders. Time will tell. I'm turning 61 next week and very thankful for my neurologist. God bless."

• jus...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 21, 2023

For Alzheimer's Disease "The neurologist prescribed Namenda. Too many side effects. Went on Aricept and was more confused, diarrhea, stomach cramps, resting heartbeat 90, couldn't sleep. Excessive crying was frightening. No reason to cry. I came home one night and was planning a suicide attempt, crying and exhausted. I stopped taking it immediately. I have never had a thought about suicide. Very frightening. I'm a 66-year-old woman with dementia. I did not experience anything positive with this medication."