Posted by Cam W. on November 30, 2001, at 14:38:13
In reply to Question for Cam, posted by Marie1 on November 30, 2001, at 7:01:04
Marie - Aricept can can fairly bad vomitting; this is why the dose is titrated upwards slowly. If your f-i-l hasn't been taking the drug regularily and hasn't titrated the dose upward, 20mg would make him very nauseous.
The mixing of the pills in a bottle is fairly common, once they leave the pharmacy. The new bottle of meds is poured into the old bottle by the patient. If your f-i-l hadn't been titrating up religiously and regualrily, and then was given the 10mg tablets (thinking they were the same as the last dose - 5mg) then, yes, he would become very sick to his stomach.
People with Alzheimer's become confused easily. They need simple instructions for their meds and simple ways to take them. I recommend that all patients taking more than 2 drugs more than once a day, or patients that have any sort of memory problems, use aids to compliance. Dosettes™ are good, but blister packs are better. Blister packing can tell one, at a glance, whether a med has been taking, or not. Most pharmacies can blister pack medications into a 7-day card, at no extra cost. I would recommend blister packs for your f-i-l. This will help him and his caregiver(s) to see if the meds are being taken properly. Your f-i-l will probably have to start at the beginning, in regards to taking Aricept. Tell his doctor what happened and perhaps as for a slower upward titration of dose. Also, ask the doc to write on the prescripton that your f-i-l's meds be blister packed. Aricept does work well to bring back cognitive function in those with Alzheimer's, but you have to get over the start-up side effects first.
I also question the pharmacist not picking up on the fact that there were a number of 5mg tablets left. This could mean that you f-i-l hasn't been taking his Aricept regularily. When one increases the dose under these circumstances, the start-up side effects reappear with a vengeance. Besides 20mg of Aricept is a fairly high, but not unheard of, dose. It takes slow titration to get to this level, though.
I hope that this is of some help. - Cam
poster:Cam W.
thread:85608
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011123/msgs/85637.html