Aricept
Aricept is a drug that is centrally acting reversible acetyl cholinesterase inhibitor. It has a generic name of Donepezil and can readily interact with the blood-brain barrier. It has an amazing oral bioavailability of one hundred percent. The drug Aricept has a half life of only 70 hours so it can be taken at least once a day. It is commonly used to treat Alzheimer’s disease. Aricept works by increasing the cortical acetylcholine.
Aricept is usually initially prescribed to patients at just 5 mg per day but the dosage will eventually be increased to 10 mg after the patient has adapted well to the drug. This adaptation or period of adjustment usually takes around four weeks. Ideally Aricept should reduce the breakdown of the chemical acetylcholine and aid in increasing its presence in the brain.
Aricept uses and functions
The drug Aricept is also prescribed for Vascular Dementia and Lewy Body Dementia although is has not been approved yet for these specific conditions. It has only been approved for schizophrenia, mild cognitive impairment, attention-deficit disorder and many others. Aricept is much better compared to other drugs for Alzheimer’s disease. It is also basically easy to use. Some side effects of the drug Aricept are anorexia, diarrhea, nausea, vivid dreams and some abdominal pain.
Often, Aricept is used in tandem with Memantine. Memantine is a recent agent for Alzheimer’s disease and studies have shown that the combination of both Aricept (Donepezil) and Memantine had better results than Aricept singularly. These are based on studies and may need further research and basis for a more solid
foundation.
Alzhemeir’s disease is a sickness that affects the brains of individuals by progressive degeneration of cells. It particularly affects the nerve cells that produce acetylcholine. This is a chemical that is generally essential in learning and memory of people. Studies of animals have also shown hope that Aricept can also help the work of acetylcholine by making the receptors that connect with the chemical more responsive to it.
The bad news is that the potential for helping those with Alzheimer’s disease may lessen if the disease continually progresses and there are fewer and fewer cells that can produce the chemical acetylcholine. This is why the drug Aricept targets those with mild to moderate cases of Alzheimer’s disease. This drug does not target to cure Alzheimer’s but only slow its progression as it does not really tackle the
cause of the disease.
ARICEPT NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
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