Aricept :: Drugs Health Alzheimers Disease Essays

Aricept What is Alzheimer’s disease? Alzheimer’s disease is a disease in which the memory, judgment, and thought processes are impaired. The moods and personality of a sufferer may also be affected. The symptoms may progress slowly and come-and-go. (http://www.healingwell.com/alzheimers/info.htm) This disease affects the cholinergic functions in the brain. It causes a deficiency of cholinergic neuron transmission. Thus, the memory of the Alzheimer’s patient is impaired. The drug donepezil hydrochloride enhances the cholinergic functions. As the amount of functioning neurons decreases, the drug’s effectiveness decreases. (http://pfizer.com/hml/pi’s/ariceptpi.html) What is Aricept? Aricept is a drug used to treat Alzheimer’s disease. It is available in tablet form and is considered to be in the drug sub-class of an acetylcholin-esterase inhibitor. Patients should start taking 5 mg of Aricept at bedtime. After four to six weeks, the dose can be increased to 10 mg/day. It is used to decrease the mild to moderate symptoms of the disease in an effort to reverse, reduce, or retard the mental and behavioral process of dementia. Aricept is not a cure for the disease, but it is a way to make it more manageable. (http://www.mayohealth.org/mayo/9804/htm/alztreat.htm) How does it work? Aricept is also known as donepezil hydrochloride and E2020. It is a reversible inhibitor of the enzyme acetyl cholinesterase, and has an empirical formula of C24H29NO3HCL . (pic. from Pfizer) The donepezil hydrochloride enhances cholinergic function by increasing acetylcholine though it’s inhibiting of acetyl cholinesterase. This effect is thought to lessen as the disease advances because fewer cholinergic neurons are functioning. Thus, donepezil does not alter the course of the dementing process; it just makes the dementia more tolerable. (http://pfizer.com/hml/pi’s/ariceptpi.html) Is it effective? Aricept has been determined to be an effective treatment during its use. This is proved by the various clinical studies. The people at Pfizer Incorporated studied Aricept to determine if it was an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. They conducted two randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical investigations with Alzheimer’s patients. The ages of the participants ranged from 50 to 94 with a mean age of 73. The participants were 62% women and 38% men.