• If you have an allergy to donepezil or any other part of this medicine.
• Tell healthcare provider if you are allergic to any medicine. Make sure to tell about the allergy and how it affected you. This includes telling about rash; hives; itching; shortness of breath; wheezing; cough; swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat; or any other symptoms involved.
• If you are breast-feeding.
• Donepezil increases the amount of a chemical called acetylcholine in the brain. Acetylcholine may be involved in memory, attention, and learning.
• Take this medicine at bedtime.
• Take this medicine with or without food. Take with food if it causes an upset stomach.
• Drink plenty of noncaffeine-containing liquid unless told to drink less liquid by healthcare provider.
• Swallow tablet whole. Do not chew, break, or crush.
• Oral-disintegrating tablet:Place on tongue and let dissolve. Do not swallow whole.
• Take a missed dose as soon as possible.
• If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and return to your regular schedule.
• Do not take a double dose or extra doses.
• Do not change dose or stop medicine. Talk with healthcare provider.
• Change in condition being treated. Is it better, worse, or about the same?
• Follow up with healthcare provider.
• Store at room temperature.
• Protect from moisture. Do not store in a bathroom or kitchen.
Created: 2006-10-13 12:06:19.0
Modified: 2010-08-17 15:51:36.0
Lexi-PALS TM © (1977)-(2007) Lexi-Comp, Inc. All rights reserved.
• If you have a life-threatening allergy, wear allergy identification at all times.
• Do not share your medicine with others and do not take anyone else's medicine.
• Keep all medicine out of the reach of children and pets.
• Most medicines can be thrown away in household trash after mixing with coffee grounds or kitty litter and sealing in a plastic bag.
• Keep a list of all your medicines (prescription, natural products, supplements, vitamins, over-the-counter) with you. Give this list to healthcare provider (doctor, nurse, nurse practitioner, pharmacist, physician assistant).
• Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or in Canada to Health Canada's Canada Vigilance Program at 1-866-234-2345.
• Talk with healthcare provider before starting any new medicine, including over-the-counter, natural products, or vitamins.
• If you have lung disease, talk with healthcare provider.
• If you have seizures, talk with healthcare provider.
• If you have a slow heartbeat, talk with healthcare provider.
• If you have had an ulcer or bleeding from your stomach or intestines, talk with healthcare provider.
• If you have urinary tract blockage, talk with healthcare provider.
• Check medicines with healthcare provider. This medicine may not mix well with other medicines.
• Avoid alcohol (includes wine, beer, and liquor).
• Tell healthcare provider if you are pregnant or plan on getting pregnant.
• Feeling dizzy. Rise slowly over several minutes from sitting or lying position. Be careful climbing.
• Nausea or vomiting. Small frequent meals, frequent mouth care, sucking hard, sugar-free candy, or chewing sugar-free gum may help.
• Diarrhea.
• Headache.
• Inability to sleep.
• Not hungry.
• Weight loss.
• If you suspect an overdose, call your local poison control center or emergency department immediately.
• Signs of a life-threatening reaction. These include wheezing; chest tightness; fever; itching; bad cough; blue skin color; fits; or swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat.
• Signs or symptoms of depression, suicidal thoughts, nervousness, emotional ups and downs, abnormal thinking, anxiety, or lack of interest in life.
• Difficulty breathing.
• Severe dizziness or passing out.
• Severe nausea or vomiting.
• Severe diarrhea.
• Unusual bruising or bleeding.
• Significant weight loss.
• Any rash.
• No improvement in condition or feeling worse.
