Donepezil and Hallucinations: What Users Say

• Eve...
• February 29, 2020

Donepezil for Alzheimer's Disease "My mom took this for 4 days, and it was the most horrible experience of all of our lives. She has very mild dementia from stroke and TIAs. We thought perhaps her inability to walk and anxiety could be helped by a neurologist, and this was prescribed. We should have waited for the MRI. She did not eat hardly at all. She cried a lot, and at night, she went completely insane. She thought I was her mother. So, the doctor took her off of it. Then, the 2 weeks of withdrawal with hallucinations, diarrhea, etc., wandering around without clothes. I am afraid she will never come back to herself again. One of the worst things I have ever been through, and I can't imagine how bad it was for her."

• Den...
• November 24, 2007

Donepezil for Alzheimer's Disease "My father has been on Aricept for 6 weeks and has become delusional especially at night. My mother stopped the medication because he wasn't sleeping at all at night and thus neither was she. I don't see this listed as a side effect and don't know if the change in my father's behavior is related to the Aricept or just increasing severity of his dementia. Will have to wait and see if things get better now that he's off the drug."

• Fur...
• August 29, 2007

Donepezil for Alzheimer's Disease "Mom was having memory problems and was prescribed this drug. By the 4th week on the drug, she was having delusions. It's been 6 months and the delusions seem to be reduced, but not gone. Caffeine seems to add to the problem so we are reducing her coffee. She also seems to get better when she exercises (walking)."

• Lor...
• November 30, 2015

For Mild Cognitive Impairment "My husband took this drug for 3-4 weeks and got worse and worse that we took him off of it. Horrible drug! He began to hallucinate, could not sleep, memory was worse, loss of appetite, talking in his sleep all night long, started falling, just awful side effects. Would never want him on this drug again."

• Qua...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 23, 2020

For Lewy Body Dementia "My wife is 53. She was diagnosed with LBD (Lewy Body Dementia) just over 3 years ago. She was still working effectively as a school psychologist in mid-2017. By December 2018, she could no longer work. She was having hallucinations regularly. She was sleeping 16 to 18 hours per day. Her ability to communicate effectively was maybe a 5 on a 10-point scale. She had a multitude of other symptoms, many of which she is still suffering, and while she could take care of personal hygiene tasks, she required someone to be home with her at all times. In March 2019, she started 5 mg donepezil. She tolerated it well, so we bumped it to 10 mg. By May 2019, her hallucinations were gone, and her ability to communicate was up to 7/10. Today, she is still doing well. I am even able to leave her home alone for the day. She still sleeps a lot and has a lot of Parkinson’s symptoms, but cognitively she is alert. I’m told that donepezil doesn’t work as well with many, but for her, it is a miracle drug."

• 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."

• MJC...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 17, 2023

For Alzheimer's Disease "It has not seemed to improve any of my symptoms, and today I experienced a severe psychotic episode in the early afternoon. I believe I'm going to discontinue (since this is Friday) and contact my doctor on Monday. If I have improvement this weekend, I'll be very thankful to God for my decision. I'll have to discuss with my physician after the weekend."