How Long Does Aricept Work?
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What Aricept is Designed to Do
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Aricept is a prescription drug designed to treat mild, moderate and severe Alzheimer's symptoms. Patients who respond well to this drug tend to exhibit improved cognitive functions while taking it, and the progression of their Alzheimer's symptoms tends to slow. It is not known precisely how Aricept works, but the manufacturer, Pfizer Inc., contends that Aricept stunts Alzheimer's development by reducing the natural breakdown of acetylcholine, a chemical in the brain that relays signals from one nerve cell to another. Common side effects of Aricept are mild and include nausea, diarrhea, trouble sleeping, fatigue and loss of appetite.
How Alzheimer's Sufferers May Respond to Aricept
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Not all Alzheimer's sufferers respond well to Aricept. Some may need to stop taking the drug because the side effects are too severe or because it may interact poorly with another prescription. Those who do respond well to the drug, however, may exhibit noticeable cognitive improvement. Still others may show no change or a slow decline in cognitive ability. In these cases, Aricept still could be working; in multiple studies conducted by Pfizer, the drug manufacturer, patients' Alzheimer's symptoms stabilized or worsened slowly while on Aricept, but worsened at a faster rate once they stopped taking it (see "References" below). The effects of Aricept might not begin to be apparent for several weeks after treatment begins. Some patients may take Aricept for an extended period, responding well with stable or slow progression of Alzheimer's, and then suddenly begin to see their symptoms worsen at a faster rate. Aricept cannot cure or reverse the disease, but could delay its progress.
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Gauging the Effectiveness of Aricept
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Aricept's manufacturer states that different people respond to the drug in various ways and that it might not work for everyone. Furthermore, if a patient takes Aricept for several weeks and exhibits no change in Alzheimer's symptoms, that doesn't mean that the drug isn't working. This makes it challenging to determine whether a continued Aricept regimen is appropriate for some patients. And the ambiguities make it impossible to accurately answer the question of how long the drug will work for a particular patient. The manufacturer recommends that patients and their caretakers report all changes in symptoms to their doctors. That way, decisions about whether to stop or change an Aricept prescription are made based on medical case specifics. One study, conducted by Pfizer, indicates that patients who stop taking Aricept after taking it regularly for several weeks might exhibit a sudden loss in cognitive function (see "References" below). For this reason, Pfizer recommends that patients on Aricept should not suddenly stop taking it without first consulting a doctor.
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