I would seriously question any doc who prescribed that. Why not 20mg? Why not 25mg? (either of which is available in generic.) If I had a doc INSIST that 23 was the perfect dosage, I'd say, "fine, prescribe 25mg and I'll cut a small segment off the 5mg pill." It's still cheaper. I can't see this new amount as anything but a scam.
That sounds a little harsh of me, and apologies to anyone who is trying it, but the idea raises my skeptic hackles.
Aricept 23mg is an extended release tablet for once a day dosage. It isn't the same as taking 10mg twice a day will a little left over. I agree it's a ploy to keep in competition with the new generics.
While on the 23mg., he was a very busy man in the night-time, causing me to lose a great deal of rest. I've cut back to the 10mg. which I still had on hand until I see a new doctor, who has been highly recommended to me.
Kathryn's doctor had us try it with the warning that if there was any problem to call her. Kathryn became very she and the doctor decided that she would not be able to take it. The doctor told me that a lot of people will not be able to take it and Kathryn was one of them.
She has now taken Kathryn off Aricept all together because it is no longer doing any good and has put her some kind of a patch called Exelon and an antidepressant. The antidepressant is to help her stop crying and sleep better at night. I am not sure why the patch I still have to look it up.
I hope they work because kathryn has been crying a lot and not sleeping at all hardly.
MY sil is on the patch because she could not tolerate aricept or galantamine. There are 4 basic medications for AD: Aricept, galantamine (forget the trade name), Exelon patch and Namenda. They all basically target the same thing.
My DW has been on 23 mg aricept for several weeks now and the only change seen is that her blues and weepy times seems to have diminished. as far as other changes they have been minimal or absent so far so good. she went from the 10mg to the 23mg and is still on the namenda 10mg twice daily. she is tired all the time but she rests and is quiet when sleeping.
DH went from 10mg Aricept to 23 mg a week ago; also taking 10mg Namenda twice daily, as well as Axona and Lexapro (EOAD). He has become generally more “out of it” and confused, has been more nauseous and is eating much less, and abruptly developed evening hallucinations off and on that there are many people in our house---middle of the night he was concerned about using the bathroom, as he thought there were many people around. Spoke with his doctor (who had asserted that significant side-effects were unlikely), and we are switching back to 10mg Aricept. Hopefully some of these recent developments aren’t now here to stay. I don’t think that the changes were coincident to the Arciept dosage increase—it appears to me they were triggered by it.
My Dh started on the 23MG on Friday morning. Is there a period of time before you see any affects? The doctor gave me some samples and also a prescription which I will not turn in until I see how the samples work. He also takes Namenda twice a day and Sertraline and Seroquel once a day.
Our neurologist told us that the Aricept 23mg (based on the research) only showed improvements for patients in the area of writing. The patients taking the 23mg improved their writing abilities. This was not important to me as my AD husband does not write anyway as he is in the late stage of 5 beginning of stage 6.
My husband is also in stage 5. Has been on 10mg Namenda twice a day since July. Started Aricept in December when DH couldn't write a sentence in his last evaluation. He has had no side effects but shows no improvement either. As much as I hate going to the neurologist we will go one more time. If the evaluation doesn't show any improvement I doubt we will continue with any meds.
I have decided to put my DH back on the 10mg of Aricept. For the past week he has had a urine leak before he makes it to the toilet. This morning I Googled Aricept 23 and urine leak and apparently that is one of the side effects. DH gets upset when he can't control his bodily functions so we will try the 10mg again and see what happens. I thought for a while the 23 might be helping his memory but I am not so sure after the past 2 or 3 days. He wanted me to get an appointment with our PCP so he could see what was causing the leak. He gets his yearly check up in February but he has to have blood work done first then he will get an appointment to see the doctor. He keeps asking when his appointment is and I keep telling him he has to have blood work first. I have told him about the Aricept 23 maybe causing the problem and he is agreeable to going back to the 10mg so we will see how it goes.