Aricept Side Effects

Aricept side effects will be broken down by the severity of the condition. The reason for doing this is that during the clinical trials, these two groups were studied independently and the dosing of the medication varies depending on the severity of the disease. Trials were conducted on patients that had a mild to moderate form of the disease (as one group) and also on patients who had a severe form of Alzheimer's disease.

We will first go over what possible Aricept side effects have been observed in patients who had mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease, then the Aricept side effects seen patients who had severe Alzheimer's disease.

As is the style of this site, the Aricept side effects, like all the other side effects discussed on this site are broken down based on frequency. Rather than using a more technical measurement they have been distilled down into a more palatable version and will be split up into those that "frequently occur", "sometimes occur" and "rarely occur". Ready to find out more about Aricept side effects? Please proceed...

Here is a breakdown of Aricept side effects and the frequency at which they occur in patients being treated for mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.

Frequently Occur:

• Diarrhea
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Generalized pain
• Having an accident
• Headache
• Insomnia
• Muscle cramps
• Nausea

Sometimes Occur:

• Abnormal crying
• Abnormal dreams
• Abnormal heart rhythm, in particular, atrial fibrillation
• Aggression
• Anorexia
• Arthritis
• Bleeding in the stomach
• Bloating
• Blurred vision
• Bone fractures
• Bronchitis
• Cataract
• Chest pain
• Decrease in weight
• Dehydration
• Delusions
• Depression
• Difficulty breathing
• Eccymosis translated Bruising (purple or blue-black skin discoloration)
• Epigastric pain loosely translated stomach pain
• Eye irritation
• Fecal incontinence translated loss of bowel control resulting in the inability to control bowel movements or gas
• Frequent urination
• High blood pressure
• Hot flashes
• Inability to control voluntary muscle movements
• Inability to speak or understand spoken words
• Increased libido
• Influenza
• Irritability
• Itching
• Low blood pressure
• Nervousness
• Nocturia translated frequent and excessive urination at night
• Restlessness
• Skin tingling, prickling and/or numbness
• Somnolence translated Sleepiness/Drowsiness
• Sore throat
• Sweating
• Syncope (fainting)
• Toothache
• Tremors
• Urinary incontinence
• Urticaria translated hives or itchy rash
• Vasodilation
• Vertigo translated feeling like you are about to fall

Rarely Occur:

• Abnormal depressed feelings or feelings of distress
• Abnormal gait
• Abscesses
• An increase in a certain type of white blood cells
• Anemia
• Angina pectoris translated intermittent, severe chest pain
• Arteritis translated inflammation of an artery
• AV heart block translated an interrution in the electrical signals of the heart
• Bad taste in the mouth
• Bed wetting
• Bleeding in the eyes
• Blood in the urine
• Breast fibroadenosis
• Cellulitis translated skin infection
• Chest congestion
• Chills/generally feeling cold all over or just in certain parts of the body
• Congestive heart failure
• Cystitis translated a type of bladder infection
• Decrease in hearing
• Decrease in the number of red blood cells
• Decreased libido
• Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) translated a blood clot that forms in a vein, usually of the leg
• Dermatitis translated dry, itchy, flaky skin, with or without redness, a.k.a. eczema
• Diabetes
• Diverticulitis
• Drooling
• Dry eyes
• Dry mouth
• Duodenal and stomach ulcers
• Either too many or too few platelets in the blood
• Emotional lability translated fluctuations of emotions such as laughing, crying, or having mood swings for no apparent reason
• Enlarged prostate
• Epigastirc distress loosely translated indigestion
• Eructation translated belching
• Erythema translated skin redness
• Excessive hair growth
• Excessive thirst
• Eyelid inflammation
• Facial swelling
• Feeling of head fullness/congestion
• Fever
• Fever sore
• Fibrocystic breast
• Flatulence translated excess gas
• Fungal skin infection
• Gallstones
• Gastritis
• Gastroenteritis translated stomach infection/inflammation usually caused by bacteria
• Gingivitis
• Glaucoma
• Goiter
• Gout
• Hair loss
• Hemorrhoids
• Hiatal hernia
• High blood sugar levels
• Hyperkeratosis translated thickened skin
• Hyperventilation
• Hypoxia translated low oxygen levels in the blood
• Ileus translated obstruction in the intestines
• Inability to empty bladder completely
• Increase in appetite
• Increase in liver enzyme levels
• Increase in the enzymes creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase
• Increase in weight
• Increased thirst
• Intracranial hemorrhage translated bleeding in the brain
• Irritable colon
• Jaundice
• Kidney infection
• Listlessness
• Low potassium levels
• Mastitis translated infection and/or inflammation of the breast
• Melancholia translated extreme depression
• Melena translated blood in the stools (poop, feces)
• Metrorrhagia translation bleeding/spotting in between periods
• Motion sickness
• Muscle spasms
• Muscle weakness and muscle twitching; increased tension or tone in the muscles that leads to stiffness
• Myocardial infarction translated heart attack
• Nerve pain
• Neurodermatitis loosely translated skin inflammation with itching
• Night sweats
• Nose bleeds; post-nasal drip
• Nystagmus translated rapid involuntary eye movements
• Outer and/or middle ear infection
• Pacing
• Pain when urinating
• Paranoia, hostility and/or emotional withdrawal
• Periodontal abscess very loosely translated abscess of the gums
• Peripheral vascular disease translated a narrowing or blockage of blood vessels in the limbs
• Pharyngitis
• Pleurisy translated inflamed membranes of the lung
• Pneumonia
• Postural hypotension translated a drop in blood pressure which results in dizziness or light-headedness when you stand up
• Pulmonary (lung) collapse
• Pus in the urine
• Renal failure
• Ringing or buzzing in the ears
• Seeing spots
• Shingles
• Skin discoloration
• Skin ulcer
• Sleep apnea
• Slow and/or fast heart rate
• Slow or decreased body movement
• Slurred speech
• Snoring
• Stretch marks
• Stroke; Mini Stroke
• Swelling around the eyes
• Tongue edema translated swelling of the tongue
• Urinary urgency
• Vaginitis
• Wheezing

Frequently Occur:

• Anorexia
• Developing an infection
• Diarrhea
• Ecchymosis translated Bruising (purple or blue-black skin discoloration)
• Having an accident
• Insomnia
• Nausea
• Vomiting

Sometimes Occur:

• Abdominal pain
• Abnormal gait
• Agitation
• Anemia
• Anxiety
• Arthritis
• Back pain
• Blood in the urine
• Bronchitis
• Chest pain
• Confusion
• Constipation
• Convulsions
• Cystitis translated a type of bladder infection
• Dehydration
• Dizziness
• Dyspepsia translated indigestion
• Eczema
• Emotional lability translated fluctuations of emotions such as laughing, crying, or having mood swings for no apparent reason
• Fecal incontinence translated loss of bowel control resulting in the inability to control bowel movements or gas
• Fever
• Flu syndrome
• Fungal infection
• Gastroenteritis translated stomach infection/inflammation usually caused by bacteria
• General weakness and drowsiness
• Hallucinations
• Headache
• Heart failure
• Hemorrhage translated bleeding
• High blood pressure
• Hostility
• Increase in level of the enzyme creatine phosphokinase (CPK)
• Increase in lipid levels
• Increased coughing
• Increased levels of enzymes lactic dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase
• Itching
• Low blood pressure
• Nervousness
• Pain
• Personality disorder
• Pharyngitis
• Pneumonia
• Rash
• Skin ulcer
• Slow heart rate
• Somnolence translated Sleepiness/Drowsiness
• Sugar in the urine
• Swelling in the legs
• Swelling or puffiness all over the body
• Syncope translated fainting
• Tremors
• Urinary incontinence
• Urinary tract infection (UTI)
• Wandering
• Weight loss

Rarely Occur:

• Abnormal dreams
• Abnormal heart rhythm, in particular, atrial fibrillation, ventricular and supraventricular extrasystoles
• Abnormal liver function tests
• Abnormal vision
• Albumin in the urine
• Allergic reaction
• Angina pectoris translated intermittent, severe chest pain
• Apathy
• Arthrosis translated a type of joint disorder
• Asthma
• Bilirubinemia translated bilirubin in the blood
• Bleeding in the brain
• Bleeding in the rectum
• Bone fractures
• Cachexia translated profound weight loss and general wasting away
• Cardiomegaly translated an enlarged heart
• Cellulitis translated skin infection
• Cerebral infarction translated death or loss of brain tissue due to insufficient supply of oxygen to the brain
• Chicken pox
• Congestive heart failure
• Conjunctivitis translated pinkeye or pink eye
• Delusions
• Dementia
• Diabetes
• Difficulty breathing
• Difficulty swallowing
• Dry skin
• Ear pain
• Eructation translated belching
• Esophagitis translated inflammation of the esophagus
• Euphoria
• Extrapyramidal syndrome feel free to contact me if you want more information about this
• Facial swelling
• Flatulence translated excess gas
• Gastritis translated inflammation of the stomach lining
• Glaucoma
• Gout
• Grand mal convulsion
• Hemiplegia translated paralysis of one side of the body
• Hernia
• High cholesterol
• Hypertonia translated increased muscle tone or tension which leads to stiffness
• Hypokinesia translated slow or dcreased body movement
• Inability to control voluntary muscle movements
• Increase in blood-urea nitrogen (BUN) level
• Increase in creatinine level
• Increase in gamma glutamyl transpeptidase level (if you would like more detail on this please use the Contact Me form to drop me a line
• Increase in level of liver enzymes
• Increase in white blood cells
• Increased salivation
• Iron deficiency anemia
• Joint pain
• Lacrimation disorder translated disorder related to the production of tears
• Leg cramps
• Low blood sugar
• Low level of protein in the blood
• Low potassium level
• Low sodium level
• Malaise translated a general feeling of discomfort or not feeling well
• Muscle pain
• Myocardial infarction translated heart attack
• Osteoporosis
• Painful urination
• Periodontal abscess
• Periodontitis translated a disease of the gums in which the gums shrink away from the teeth
• Peripheral vascular disorder
• Psoriasis
• Runny nose
• Sepsis translated blood infection
• Skin discoloration
• Stroke
• Sweating
• Urinary frequency
• Urticaria translated hives or itchy rash
• Vaginitis
• Vasodilation translated widening of the blood vessels
• Vertigo
• Vesicobullous rash
• Vitamin B-12 deficiency anemia
• Weight gain

Post-Marketing Side Effects of Aricept

The following Aricept side effects were reported after Aricept was approved and being used by the general population. You should note though that these particular Aricept side effects were reported voluntarily by folks in the general population so there is therefore no way to determine how often they occur or if there is even really a true connection between them and Aricept. They are as follows:

• Abdominal pain
• Agitation
• Confusion
• Convulsions
• Hallucinations
• Heart block translated an interruption in the electrical signals of the heart
• Hemolytic anemia
• Hepatitis
• Gallbladder inflammation
• Low sodium level
• Neuroleptic malignant syndrome this is a life-threatening neurological disorder, feel free to contact me if you need more information
• Pancreatitis
• Rash

Things that were hard to bear are sweet to remember.
- Seneca, (Hercules Furens)

Drug Manufacturer Information

Manufacturer:
Eisai Inc.,
100 Tice Blvd.
Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07677
1-888-274-2378

Marketed by:
Pfizer Inc.,
235 East 42nd Street
New York, NY 10017
1-800-TRY-FIRST (1-800-879-3477)

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April 30, 2009

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