EXELON Reviews (RIVASTIGMINE TARTRATE)

Average Rating: 1.4 (22 Ratings)

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 ALZHEIMER-TYPE DEMENTIA

 Type: Rx Drug

  

EXELON  (RIVASTIGMINE TARTRATE):  Rivastigmine is used to treat confusion (dementia) related to Alzheimer's disease and to Parkinson's disease. Rivastigmine does not cure either of these diseases, but it may improve memory, awareness, and the ability to perform daily functions. This medication works by restoring the balance of natural substances (neurotransmitters) in the brain.   FDA Approval Date: 2000-04-21 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)

  

Results are sorted by Age oldest to youngest.

Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.)
5=HIGH (this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal.)

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RATING  REASONSIDE EFFECTS FOR EXELONCOMMENTSSEXAGEDURATION/
DOSAGE
DATE ADDED
 
 2  Dementia urinary incontinence + gamut It's difficult to determine with any real certainty which side effects are from which drugs my 93 yr old mother is taking, each having their own SX. Then, too, dementia and Alzheimer's is a progressive condition. It's accepted now that Aricept doesn't work. Nothing stops it, with the possible exception of cannabis oil and Reversatrol. Exelon is a $300 + per month drug that may or may not be helping or may even be making the condition worse. Dosing is important. 9mg is the target dose but my 93 yr old mother is prescribed 1.5 x 2 because after briefly using the 4.5 patch she had skin reactions and went bananas prompting a 911. 3mg per day lessens the severity of the urinary incontinence, (also symptomatic of dementia) and again, may or not be helping with the dementia. Generic now available, at least. F 93 24 months
1.5 2X day
11/19/2010
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 5  vascular dementia Initial sedation; anorexia. My father was prescribed Exelon in patch formation to avoid nausea that is common side effect. After 4-6 weeks there has been a significant improvement in his orientation. He is much clearer. M 90 6 weeks
12/18/2007
 1  mild dementia nausea, loss of appetite. loss of weight, bleeding in the intestines and stomach, tired, no energy Dad is 89 and I am his caregiver. He started on the patch in the spring. He had been on Aricept and the doctor recommended trying the patch. Over the summer he lost 20 pounds and just didn't feel well. In September, his hemoglobin was so low that he needed two blood transfusions. In November, he was bleeding heavily from the rectum and was hospitalized. They didn't use the patch in the hospital and his appetite improved . His blleding was from the stomach and intestines. When he returned home, we used the patch for three days and the symptoms began. I called the doctor and dad is now on Aricept and is feeling much better. I would never recommend the patch. M 89 6 months
9.6 mg 1X day
11/24/2010
 1  Dementia Increasing delusions, weight loss. Vomiting and nausea after increasing dosage. Mom was on a lower dose to start but gradually developed delusions. We didn't realize it could be the drug. Her memory continued to decline so we upped the medication to a higher dose. At first she had vomiting and nausea but that stopped after a week or so. Her weight loss continued. Her delusions became more frequent and strange. I asked that her doctor discontinue the drug. Since that time she has become very angry with very few good moods. I hope this wears off because it is causing a lot of problems. I am so sorry she ever went on this drug!!! F 87 16 months
mid-range 2X day
7/22/2016
 1  Improve Mental Function My mother with Parkinson's but NO other health issues started it on Dec 1 and experienced severe congestive heart failure December 27. The drug was withdrawn and re-tested twice and each time she had a life-threatening decline within 24 hrs on the patch. Since finally getting off it her heart function has improved dramatically, though there is some permanent damage. Her mental condition declined significantly while on the drug. Doctors had no idea Exelon had CHF as a listed side effect and then were slow to believe it until the testing proved it. DON'T RISK THIS DRUG ON SOMEONE YOU LOVE. F 86 27 days
4/14/2008
 1  cerebral atrophy, dementia, Alzheim my Dad went from eating normal meals to eating like a bird,never being hungry. Now, one week after stopping the drug due to donut hole, his appetite is back, and his awful nightmares have ended. He enjoys his days now, no angry outbursts since stopping excelon patch. I would NOT RECOMEND THIS DRUG FOR MY LOVED ONE OR YOURS! M 86 1 years
9.5mg/nigh
6/9/2014
 1  Parkinson's dementia My mother started taking Exelon for increased confusion after taking Aricept for about a year. Not only didn't the drug help, but confusion increased and she had other bizarre symptoms we never saw with Aricept. Much more delusional and 'out of it'. Also started to urinate excessively at night. The prescribing MD kept telling us to give it more time, and when symptoms kept getting worse, wanted to increase the dose. Her decline was so dramatic that we asked to take her off Exelon and go back to Aricept. After less than a week the excessive urination has stopped and although she's still confused at times, there aren't the really strange behaviors now. F 86 5 weeks
4/24/2007
 1  Confusion, dementia, gait problems Increased confusion, anxiety, nightmares, hostile and paranoid behaviors M 85 33 days
6 mg
5/12/2019
 1  Alzheimer's My 80 year old mother was taking Namenda which did nothing for her memory. New doctor took her off Namenda and put her on exelon patch. Within 14 days she declined to the point where she didn't recognize us, couldn't remember her grandchildren, started hallucinating and wandered for the first time. She lived alone but after about 21 days I moved her to my house. She went out looking for her 2 daughters because she thought we were little. I am 43 and my sister is 47! It was the most upsetting day yet to have my mother look at me and tell me a story about me not knowing who I was. Nothing like that had ever happened. The worst she ever did before the patch was repeat herself every 2 minutes and hide everything in her house then think someone stole it. I thought that was terrible but I will take that any day over my mother not knowing who I am and hallucinating every day. We have tried it 45 days and it's getting worse. I stopped it today and hope to get my mother back and her independence. This drug is not for her and shame on the doctor that prescribed it for not returning our calls or proactively checking on a new patient on a new medication. Beware of this drug and beware of doctors who prescribe it without explaining possible effects. F 81 6 weeks
4.6
5/20/2015
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 1  Alzheimer's Loss of appetite, loss of muscle strength, rapid decline in cognitive abilities, urinary incontinence, loss of memory, confusion, skin rash, worsening in all aspects. Warning: Exelon patch may lead to RAPID DECLINE! My mother was doing well before using the exelon patch (can shower and dress herself, go to the bathroom herself, conduct meaningful conversations, e.t.c). The side-effects didn't appear so quickly, perhaps because she was reasonably healthy. Within a year her CASI and MMSE scores went down drastically (almost 10 times faster than the yearly decline rate before, but we didn't know until the tests were done a year after.....) . The loss of cognitive abilities (increased dementia) was accompanied by physical discomforts (loss of appetite, loss of muscle strength, loss of focus/clarity, loss of ability to talk, occasional loss of urinary control, skin rash...). She cannot dress/shower herself anymore, and her conversation ability was lost. After stopping the patch she still needs assistance going to the bathroom/taking showers/dressing, she still have difficulty speaking, but her appetite is back to normal, her focus/clarity/muscle strength/mood have all improved. We truly appreciate the comments here that gave us the courage to stop using the patch, and felt very sorry we didn't stop sooner. This patch can be very dangerous! Please protect your loved ones! F 79 1.3 years
4.6mg 1X day
3/4/2019
 1  misdiagnosed dementia Memory loss, confusion, tremors, irregular heartbeat My mother was prescribed this without my knowledge. I noticed the tremors and heartbeat issue immediately, she also has A-FIB. The other side effects worsened over time, she is forgetting how to do her favorite activities now and people's names. Very alarming for me. None of the nursing home staff will listen or care so I am removing this patch at every opportunity. The longer she goes without it the more her mind comes back. I am so proud of her. I will do everything I can to STOP this 'medication', I have cursed out the staff of her nursing home more than once. EXELON is SLOW RELEASE DEMENTIA, a pathetic MONEY GRAB. KNOW YOUR LOVED ONE'S MEDICATIONS! F 78 2 years
9.5 MG
7/17/2018
 1  dementia muscle weakness and loss of coordination, urinary control, hallucinations, increased dementia My father took Exelon to replace Aricept. In a matter of days his health took a rapid turn for the worse so severe it required nursing home support. M 78 6 days
4/22/2008
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 1  dementia Weight loss, horrifying hallucinations, worsening delusions My dad was on this drug for 4 months before a doctor would agree to withdraw it. His weight dropped 25 pounds during that time, his appetite was non-existent and his behavior worsened significantly. He thought he was in the war and people were shooting at him. He lived in absolute terror during the time he was on this drug. After stopping Exelon, which did absolutely nothing for his memory, his behavior improved and his eating has almost returned to normal. I know he will continue to decline from the Alzheimer's Disease, but this drug is not the answer. Why these drugs were EVER approved by the FDA is a mystery to me. They have significant side effects and are not evidence based. Why make a loved one with dementia suffer even more? M 77 4 months
4.6 mg 1X day
7/12/2011
Email
 1  Prescribed for moderate alzheimers After a 2-3 days my 93 lb mother quit sleeping almost entirely. She suffered a drastic decline in comprehension, became horribly anxious, suffered nightmares when she did sleep for 3-10 minutes, became nearly catatonic and began having occasional hallucinations. Before starting, she slept soundly 9.5 hours a night. Loss of appetite also. This has been the most significant and abrupt decline since diagnosis. She has been off the patch for 5 days and we have seen improvement only when she is able to sleep. So far, every 3rd night. Two trips to the ER. My father has been taking the highest oral dose for two years without side effects and we are praying my mother can recover from 12 days of lowest dose. F 76 10 days
4.5 mg
5/14/2015
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 1  dementua My mother was progressively Increased to the 13.3mg patch. She had a mental breakdown. She became aggressive, which had never happened before. She was throwing things. Having nightmares, crying spells, did not talk for 3 days, very bizzare behavior, unsteady gait and could not dress or bathe herself which she was doing before. I stopped the patch after 10 days and within 3-4 days, she was back to herself. F 75 10 days
13.3mg
5/13/2014
 1  Parkinson's Severe confusion, paranoia, hallucinations, insomnia and loss of appetite. My husband fell and broke his shoulder. He also bumped his head. A neurologist was called in on a consult during his hospital stay. He explained that he read where the Exelon patch helped Parkinson's patients with their gait (to prevent falls). The nurses seemed to well respect this doctor so I allowed the application of the patch. This was a mistake. After a week in the hospital suffering from the pain of a broken shoulder aside from the confusion, paranoia and hallucinations, he was transferred to a rehabilitation center. He was labeled as having dementia, incontinence and confusion. This was not the case! After weaning my husband off pain killers (which I thought were the cause of the side effects), the problems continued. The patch was the only suspect left. I removed it myself and scrubbed the site with soap and water. Within an hour, the hallucinations stopped. He said the walls were still moving. This took another couple of days to stop. He is now back to his former self. After 5 weeks in rehab he is home and continues to improve. My concern is for the individuals who don't have an advocate and are institutionalized for a "condition" when the problems are actually "drug induced". Protect you loved ones. Pay attention and do your research! M 70 7 days
4MG 1X day
7/26/2016
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 1  Alzheimers Vomiting, diarhea, headaches, tremors Aricept had none of these adverse effects. Exelon didn't even help either. M 69 30 days
3/7/2007
 2  Parkinson's related dementia Severe confusion Hallucinations and delusions Insomnia M 66 10 days
6 2X day
11/17/2020
 1  Dementia Disoriented. Hard to focus. Lethargy. My husband has dementia and had been taking Aricept and doing pretty well on it. His neurologist recommended using the Exelon patch and stopping the Aricept. We tried this for 2 days and noticed a marked degeneration. We stopped the Exelon patch and started with the Aricept again. Within a day my husband is back to his old self. 63 2 days
4.6 mg 1X day
2/28/2015
 1  dementia intense vomiting, feeling nauseated all the time, bladder was uncontrolled/ rash at patch site/ had to put patch on a different place of upper body each day/ Caregiver here - switched my uncle from aricept to exelon patch cause Dr said it might work better for his memory problems. Wrong! It made everything worse. Run from this drug - do not let your Dr switch to this drug. It is awful! It should be pulled from the market or used as a drug to induce vomiting! Total waste of money and his med pt D did not cover it. Also found out Dr (neurologist) was paid $$$$ to speak about this drug to other Drs in the area to get them to switch their patients from other dementia meds to Exelon patch. Shame! He is nowback on Aricept and does not have any side effects I can observe. F 62 16 days
4/12/2008
  

EXELON  (RIVASTIGMINE TARTRATE):  Rivastigmine is used to treat confusion (dementia) related to Alzheimer's disease and to Parkinson's disease. Rivastigmine does not cure either of these diseases, but it may improve memory, awareness, and the ability to perform daily functions. This medication works by restoring the balance of natural substances (neurotransmitters) in the brain.   FDA Approval Date: 2000-04-21 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)

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