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NetWellness is a global, community service providing quality, unbiased health information from our partner university faculty. NetWellness is commercial-free and does not accept advertising.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
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NetWellness is a global, community service providing quality, unbiased health information from our partner university faculty. NetWellness is commercial-free and does not accept advertising.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
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Alzheimer's Disease |
Aricept and Mood/Personality02/15/2001 |
Can Aricept cause mood swings or a change in personality? My husband has dementia but has remained very sweet. We started him on Aricept about a month ago, and he is up and down with his personality. It seems to me that the personality problems began when he started the Aricept.
Hi, thank you for your question. Dr. David Geldmacher from the University Alzheimer Center has answered. "In brief, the answer is yes: donepezil (Aricept) can lead to irritability. AD often leads to emotional withdrawal, passivity, and reduced response to motivating factors. These changes are, in part, mediated by acetylcholine, the brain chemical that donepezil works upon. You will need to decide whether any improvement you've seen in thinking ability is more or less important than the irritability. If the irritability is costing you (together) more than the thinking is being benefited, then stopping the medicine may be useful." Thanks again for sending us your question. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact us again.
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Paula K Ogrocki, PhD Assistant Professor of Neurology School of Medicine Case Western Reserve University |
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David Geldmacher, MD Formerly, Assistant Professor of Neurology School of Medicine Case Western Reserve University |
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Please note: only your personal physician or other health professional you consult can best advise you on matters of your health based on your medical history, your family medical history, your medication history, and how information from any of these databases may apply to you. Neither University of Cincinnati (NetWellness) nor any party involved in creating, producing or delivering this web site shall be liable for any damages arising out of access to or use of this web site, or any errors or omissions in the content thereof. (More) 
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