Aricept Evess 5mg Orodispersible Tablets
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ARICEPT® EVESS 5mg Orodispersible Tablets
(donepezil hydrochloride)
You and your caregiver should read all of this leaflet carefully before you start taking this medicine.
• Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.
• If you have any further questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
• This medicine has been prescribed for you. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their symptoms are the same as yours.
• If any of the side effects get serious, or if you notice any side effects not listed in this leaflet, please tell your doctor or pharmacist.
The name of your medicine is Aricept Evess 5mg Orodispersible Tablets but will be referred to as ARICEPT Evess throughout this leaflet. Please note that the leaflet also contains information about the other strength Aricept Evess 10mg Orodispersible Tablets.
IN THIS LEAFLET:
1. What ARICEPT Evess is and what it is used for
2. Before you take ARICEPT Evess
3. How to take ARICEPT Evess
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store ARICEPT Evess
6. Further information
1. WHAT ARICEPT EVESS IS AND WHAT IT IS USED FOR
ARICEPT Evess (donepezil hydrochloride) belongs to a group of medicines called acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. Donepezil increases the levels of a substance (acetylcholine) in the brain involved in memory function by slowing down the breakdown of acetylcholine.
It is used to treat the symptoms of dementia in people diagnosed as having mild and moderately severe Alzheimer’s disease. The symptoms include increasing memory loss, confusion and behavioural changes. As a result, sufferers of Alzheimer’s disease find it more and more difficult to carry out their normal daily activities.
ARICEPT Evess is for use in adult patients only.
2. BEFORE YOU TAKE ARICEPT EVESS
Do NOT take ARICEPT EVESS
• if you are allergic (hypersensitive) to donepezil hydrochloride, or to piperidine derivatives, or any of the other ingredients of ARICEPT Evess listed in section 6.
Take special care with ARICEPT EVESS
Tell your doctor or pharmacist before starting to take ARICEPT Evess if you have or have had:
• stomach or duodenal ulcers
• seizures (fits) or convulsions
• a heart condition (irregular or very slow heart beat)
• asthma or other long term lung disease
• liver problems or hepatitis
• difficulty passing urine or mild kidney disease
Also tell your doctor if you are pregnant or think you might be pregnant.
Taking other medicines
Please tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, or have recently taken, any other medicine. This includes medicines that your doctor has not prescribed for you but which you have bought yourself from a chemist/pharmacist. It also applies to medicines you may take sometime in the future if you continue to take ARICEPT Evess. This is because these medicines may weaken or strengthen the effects of ARICEPT Evess.
Especially tell your doctor if you are taking any of the following types of medicines:
• other Alzheimer’s disease medicines, e.g. galantamine
• pain killers or treatment for arthritis e.g. aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drugs such as ibuprofen, or diclofenac sodium
• anticholinergics medicines, e.g. tolterodine
• antibiotics e.g. erythromycin, rifampicin
• anti-fungal medicine e.g. ketoconazole
• anti-depressants e.g. fluoxetine
• anticonvulsants e.g. phenytoin, carbamazepine
• medication for a heart condition e.g. quinidine, beta-blockers (propanolol and atenolol)
• muscle relaxants e.g. diazepam, succinylcholine
• general anaesthetic
• medicines obtained without a prescription e.g. herbal remedies
If you are going to have an operation that requires you to have a general anaesthetic, you should tell your doctor and the anaesthetist that you are taking ARICEPT Evess. This is because your medicine may affect the amount of anaesthetic needed.
ARICEPT Evess can be used in patients with kidney disease or mild to moderate liver disease. Tell your doctor first if you have kidney or liver disease. Patients with severe liver disease should not take ARICEPT Evess.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist the name of your caregiver. Your caregiver will help you to take your medicine as it is prescribed.
Taking ARICEPT EVESS with food and drink
Food will not influence the effect of ARICEPT Evess.
ARICEPT Evess should not be taken with alcohol because alcohol may change its effect.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding
ARICEPT Evess should not be used while breastfeeding.
If you are pregnant, or think you might be pregnant, ask your doctor for advice before taking any medicine.
Driving and using machines
Alzheimer’s disease may impair your ability to drive or operate machinery and you must not perform these activities unless your doctor tells you that it is safe to do so.
Also, your medicine can cause tiredness, dizziness and muscle cramp. If you experience any of these effects you must not drive or operate machinery.
3. HOW TO TAKE ARICEPT EVESS
How much ARICEPT EVESS should you take?
Usually, you will start by taking 5 mg (one white tablet) every night before you go to bed. After one month, your doctor may tell you to take 10 mg (one yellow tablet) every night before you go to bed.
The tablet should be placed on your tongue and allowed to disintegrate before swallowing, with or without water, according to your preference.
The tablet strength you will take may change depending on the length of time you have been taking the medicine and on what your doctor recommends. The maximum recommended dose is 10 mg each night.
Always follow your doctor’s, or pharmacist’s advice about how and when to take your medicine.
Do not alter the dose yourself without your doctor’s advice.
For how long should you take ARICEPT EVESS?
Your doctor or pharmacist will advise you on how long you should continue to take your tablets. You will need to see your doctor from time to time to review your treatment and assess your symptoms.
If you stop taking ARICEPT EVESS
Do not stop taking the tablets unless told to do so by your doctor. If you stop taking ARICEPT Evess, the benefits of your treatment will gradually fade away.
If you take more ARICEPT EVESS than you should
DO NOT take more than one tablet each day. Call your doctor immediately if you take more than you should. If you cannot contact your doctor, contact the local hospital Accident and Emergency department at once. Always take the tablets and the carton with you to the hospital so that the doctor knows what has been taken.
Symptoms of overdosing include feeling and being sick, drooling, sweating, slow heart rate, low blood pressure (lightheadedness or dizziness when standing), breathing problems, losing consciousness and seizures (fits) or convulsions.
If you forget to take ARICEPT EVESS
If you forget to take a tablet, just take one tablet the following day at the usual time. Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten tablet.
If you forget to take your medicine for more than one week, call your doctor before taking any more medicine.
4. POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS
Like all medicines, ARICEPT Evess can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
The following side effects have been reported by people taking ARICEPT Evess.
Tell your doctor if you have any of these effects while you are taking ARICEPT Evess.
Serious side effects:
You must tell your doctor immediately if you notice these serious side effects mentioned. You may need urgent medical treatment.
• liver damage e.g. hepatitis. The symptoms of hepatitis are feeling or being sick, loss of appetite, feeling generally unwell, fever, itching, yellowing of the skin and eyes, and dark coloured urine (affects 1 to 10 users in 10,000)
• stomach or duodenal ulcers. The symptoms of ulcers are stomach pain and discomfort (indigestion) felt between the navel and the breast bone (affects 1 to 10 users in 1,000).
• bleeding in the stomach or intestines. This may cause you to pass black tar like stools or visible blood from the rectum (affects 1 to 10 users in 1,000).
• seizures (fits) or convulsions (affects 1 to 10 users in 1,000).
• fever with muscle stiffness, sweating or a lowered level of consciousness (a disorder called “Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome”) (affects less than 1 user in
10,000).
Very common side effects (affects more than 1 user in 10):
• diarrhoea
• feeling or being sick
• headaches
Common side effects (affects 1 to 10 users in 100):
• muscle cramp
• tiredness
• difficulty in sleeping (insomnia)
• the common cold
• loss of appetite
• hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not really there)
• unusual dreams including nightmares
• agitation
• aggressive behaviour
• fainting
• dizziness
• stomach feeling uncomfortable
• rash
• itching
• passing urine uncontrollably
• pain
• accidents (patients may be more prone to falls and accidental injury)
Uncommon side effects (affects 1 to 10 users in 1,000):
• slow heart beat
Rare side effects (affects 1 to 10 users in
10,000):
• stiffness, shaking or uncontrollable movement especially of the face and tongue but also of the limbs
If any of the side effects get serious, or if you notice any side effects not listed in this leaflet, please tell your doctor or pharmacist.
5. HOW TO STORE ARICEPT EVESS:
Keep out of the sight and reach of children. Do not take your tablets after the expiry date which is stated on the carton and blister label after ‘Exp’. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
This medicine does not require any special storage conditions.
If your doctor tells you to stop taking this medicine, return any unused tablets to your pharmacist for safe disposal.
If your tablets become discoloured or show any signs of deterioration, you should seek the advice of your pharmacist.
Medicines should not be disposed of via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of medicines no longer required. These measures will help to protect the environment.
6. FURTHER INFORMATION
What do ARICEPT EVESS orodispersible tablets contain?
The active substance is donepezil hydrochloride.
Each orodispersible tablet contains 5mg donepezil hydrochloride equivalent to 4.56mg donepezil free base.
The other ingredients are mannitol, colloidal anhydrous silica, carrageenan, and polyvinyl alcohol.
What do ARICEPT EVESS orodispersible tablets look like?
White orodispersible tablets marked with ‘ARICEPT’ on one side and ‘5’ on the other.
The orodispersible tablets are supplied in calendar blister packs containing 28 tablets.
Manufactured by: Pfizer PGM, 29, Route des Industries, 37530 Poce-sur-Cisse, France
Procured from within the EU and repackaged by the Product Licence holder: B&S Healthcare, Unit 4, Bradfield Road, Ruislip, Middlesex, HA4 0NU, UK.
ARICEPT® EVESS 5mg Orodispersible Tablets PL No: 18799/2242 rPcM
Leaflet date: 15.08.2013
ARICEPT is a registered trademark of Eisai group of companies.
PACKAGE LEAFLET: INFORMATION FOR THE USER
DONEPEZIL HYDROCHLORIDE 5mg Orodispersible Tablets
You and your caregiver should read all of this leaflet carefully before you start taking this medicine.
• Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.
• If you have any further questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
• This medicine has been prescribed for you. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their symptoms are the same as yours.
• If any of the side effects get serious, or if you notice any side effects not listed in this leaflet, please tell your doctor or pharmacist.
The name of your medicine is Donepezil hydrochloride 5mg Orodispersible Tablets but will be referred to as Donepezil hydrochloride throughout this leaflet. Please note that the leaflet also contains information about the other strength Donepezil hydrochloride 10mg Orodispersible Tablets.
IN THIS LEAFLET:
1. What Donepezil hydrochloride is and what it is used for
2. Before you take Donepezil hydrochloride
3. How to take Donepezil hydrochloride
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Donepezil hydrochloride
6. Further information
1. WHAT DONEPEZIL HYDROCHLORIDE IS AND WHAT IT IS USED FOR
Donepezil hydrochloride belongs to a group of medicines called acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. Donepezil increases the levels of a substance (acetylcholine) in the brain involved in memory function by slowing down the breakdown of acetylcholine.
It is used to treat the symptoms of dementia in people diagnosed as having mild and moderately severe Alzheimer’s disease. The symptoms include increasing memory loss, confusion and behavioural changes. As a result, sufferers of Alzheimer’s disease find it more and more difficult to carry out their normal daily activities.
Donepezil hydrochloride is for use in adult patients only.
2. BEFORE YOU TAKE DONEPEZIL HYDROCHLORIDE
Do NOT take DONEPEZIL HYDROCHLORIDE
• if you are allergic (hypersensitive) to donepezil hydrochloride, or to piperidine derivatives, or any of the other ingredients of Donepezil hydrochloride listed in section 6.
Take special care with DONEPEZIL HYDROCHLORIDE
Tell your doctor or pharmacist before starting to take Donepezil hydrochloride if you have or have had:
• stomach or duodenal ulcers
• seizures (fits) or convulsions
• a heart condition (irregular or very slow heart beat)
• asthma or other long term lung disease
• liver problems or hepatitis
• difficulty passing urine or mild kidney disease
Also tell your doctor if you are pregnant or think you might be pregnant.
Taking other medicines
Please tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, or have recently taken, any other medicine. This includes medicines that your doctor has not prescribed for you but which you have bought yourself from a chemist/pharmacist. It also applies to medicines you may take sometime in the future if you continue to take Donepezil hydrochloride. This is because these medicines may weaken or strengthen the effects of Donepezil hydrochloride.
Especially tell your doctor if you are taking any of the following types of medicines:
• other Alzheimer’s disease medicines, e.g. galantamine
• pain killers or treatment for arthritis e.g. aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drugs such as ibuprofen, or diclofenac sodium
• anticholinergics medicines, e.g. tolterodine
• antibiotics e.g. erythromycin, rifampicin
• anti-fungal medicine e.g. ketoconazole
• anti-depressants e.g. fluoxetine
• anticonvulsants e.g. phenytoin, carbamazepine
• medication for a heart condition e.g. quinidine, beta-blockers (propanolol and atenolol)
• muscle relaxants e.g. diazepam, succinylcholine
• general anaesthetic
• medicines obtained without a prescription e.g. herbal remedies
If you are going to have an operation that requires you to have a general anaesthetic, you should tell your doctor and the anaesthetist that you are taking Donepezil hydrochloride. This is because your medicine may affect the amount of anaesthetic needed.
Donepezil hydrochloride can be used in patients with kidney disease or mild to moderate liver disease. Tell your doctor first if you have kidney or liver disease. Patients with severe liver disease should not take Donepezil hydrochloride.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist the name of your caregiver. Your caregiver will help you to take your medicine as it is prescribed.
Taking DONEPEZIL HYDROCHLORIDE with food and drink
Food will not influence the effect of Donepezil hydrochloride.
Donepezil hydrochloride should not be taken with alcohol because alcohol may change its effect.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding
Donepezil hydrochloride should not be used while breastfeeding.
If you are pregnant, or think you might be pregnant, ask your doctor for advice before taking any medicine.
Driving and using machines
Alzheimer’s disease may impair your ability to drive or operate machinery and you must not perform these activities unless your doctor tells you that it is safe to do so.
Also, your medicine can cause tiredness, dizziness and muscle cramp. If you experience any of these effects you must not drive or operate machinery.
3. HOW TO TAKE DONEPEZIL HYDROCHLORIDE
How much DONEPEZIL HYDROCHLORIDE should you take? Usually, you will start by taking 5 mg (one white tablet) every night before you go to bed. After one month, your doctor may tell you to take 10 mg (one yellow tablet) every night before you go to bed.
The tablet should be placed on your tongue and allowed to disintegrate before swallowing, with or without water, according to your preference.
The tablet strength you will take may change depending on the length of time you have been taking the medicine and on what your doctor recommends. The maximum recommended dose is 10 mg each night.
Always follow your doctor’s, or pharmacist’s advice about how and when to take your medicine.
Do not alter the dose yourself without your doctor’s advice.
For how long should you take DONEPEZIL HYDROCHLORIDE?
Your doctor or pharmacist will advise you on how long you should continue to take your tablets. You will need to see your doctor from time to time to review your treatment and assess your symptoms.
If you stop taking DONEPEZIL HYDROCHLORIDE
Do not stop taking the tablets unless told to do so by your doctor. If you stop taking Donepezil hydrochloride, the benefits of your treatment will gradually fade away.
If you take more DONEPEZIL HYDROCHLORIDE than you should
DO NOT take more than one tablet each day. Call your doctor immediately if you take more than you should. If you cannot contact your doctor, contact the local hospital Accident and Emergency department at once. Always take the tablets and the carton with you to the hospital so that the doctor knows what has been taken.
Symptoms of overdosing include feeling and being sick, drooling, sweating, slow heart rate, low blood pressure (lightheadedness or dizziness when standing), breathing problems, losing consciousness and seizures (fits) or convulsions.
If you forget to take DONEPEZIL HYDROCHLORIDE
If you forget to take a tablet, just take one tablet the following day at the usual time. Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten tablet.
If you forget to take your medicine for more than one week, call your doctor before taking any more medicine.
4. POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS
Like all medicines, Donepezil hydrochloride can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
The following side effects have been reported by people taking Donepezil hydrochloride.
Tell your doctor if you have any of these effects while you are taking Donepezil hydrochloride.
Serious side effects:
You must tell your doctor immediately if you notice these serious side effects mentioned. You may need urgent medical treatment.
• liver damage e.g. hepatitis. The symptoms of hepatitis are feeling or being sick, loss of appetite, feeling generally unwell, fever, itching, yellowing of the skin and eyes, and dark coloured urine (affects 1 to 10 users in 10,000)
• stomach or duodenal ulcers. The symptoms of ulcers are stomach pain and discomfort (indigestion) felt between the navel and the breast bone (affects 1 to 10 users in 1,000).
• bleeding in the stomach or intestines. This may cause you to pass black tar like stools or visible blood from the rectum (affects 1 to 10 users in 1,000).
• seizures (fits) or convulsions (affects 1 to 10 users in 1,000).
• fever with muscle stiffness, sweating or a lowered level of consciousness (a disorder called “Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome”) (affects less than 1 user in
10,000).
Very common side effects (affects more than 1 user in 10):
• diarrhoea
• feeling or being sick
• headaches
Common side effects (affects 1 to 10 users in 100):
• muscle cramp
• tiredness
• difficulty in sleeping (insomnia)
• the common cold
• loss of appetite
• hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not really there)
• unusual dreams including nightmares
• agitation
• aggressive behaviour
• fainting
• dizziness
• stomach feeling uncomfortable
• rash
• itching
• passing urine uncontrollably
• pain
• accidents (patients may be more prone to falls and accidental injury)
Uncommon side effects (affects 1 to 10 users in 1,000):
• slow heart beat
Rare side effects (affects 1 to 10 users in
10,000):
• stiffness, shaking or uncontrollable movement especially of the face and tongue but also of the limbs
If any of the side effects get serious, or if you notice any side effects not listed in this leaflet, please tell your doctor or pharmacist.
5. HOW TO STORE DONEPEZIL HYDROCHLORIDE:
Keep out of the sight and reach of children. Do not take your tablets after the expiry date which is stated on the carton and blister label after ‘Exp’. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
This medicine does not require any special storage conditions.
If your doctor tells you to stop taking this medicine, return any unused tablets to your pharmacist for safe disposal.
If your tablets become discoloured or show any signs of deterioration, you should seek the advice of your pharmacist.
Medicines should not be disposed of via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of medicines no longer required. These measures will help to protect the environment.
6. FURTHER INFORMATION
What do DONEPEZIL HYDROCHLORIDE orodispersible tablets contain?
The active substance is donepezil hydrochloride.
Each orodispersible tablet contains 5mg donepezil hydrochloride equivalent to 4.56mg donepezil free base.
The other ingredients are mannitol, colloidal anhydrous silica, carrageenan, and polyvinyl alcohol.
What do DONEPEZIL HYDROCHLORIDE orodispersible tablets look like?
White orodispersible tablets marked with ‘ARICEPT’ on one side and ‘5’ on the other.
The orodispersible tablets are supplied in calendar blister packs containing 28 tablets.
Manufactured by: Pfizer PGM, 29,
Route des Industries,
37530 Poce-sur-Cisse, France
Procured from within the EU and repackaged by the Product Licence holder: B&S Healthcare, Unit 4, Bradfield Road, Ruislip, Middlesex, HA4 0NU, UK.
DONEPEZIL HYDROCHLORIDE 5mg Orodispersible Tablets pnM
PL No: 18799/2242 POM
Leaflet date: 15.08.2013