What are the side effects of memory medication?
While many people can take dementia drugs without any problems, some may experience unpleasant side effects….The most common side effects include:
Table of Contents
- nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea.
- loss of appetite.
- muscle pain.
- sleep problems.
- feeling tired.
- headaches.
- itching or a rash.
- dizziness or feeling faint.
Does Alzheimer’s medication have side effects?
Side effects may cause sleepiness, dizziness, mood swings, and confusion. Antipsychotics are drugs used to treat paranoia, hallucinations, agitation, and aggression. Side effects of using these drugs can be serious, including increased risk of death in some older people with dementia.

What are the side effects of cholinesterase inhibitors?
The most common adverse effects of cholinesterase inhibitors include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, decreased appetite, dyspepsia, anorexia, muscle cramps, fatigue, insomnia, dizziness, headache, and asthenia. Taking these medications with food, preferably a full meal, can mitigate these gastrointestinal effects.
Can dementia medication make you worse?
Common prescription and over-the-counter medications called anticholinergics (anti-col-in-er-jik; hear it) have side effects that can worsen existing Alzheimer’s or dementia symptoms.

Is it worth taking medication for dementia?
The research evidence so far indicates that dementia medications do not improve outcomes for mild cognitive impairment. However, it remains very common for patients with mild cognitive impairment to be prescribed donepezil (brand name Aricept) or another cholinesterase inhibitor.
What are the long-term effects of taking donepezil?
Conclusion: The long-term administration of donepezil at 5 mg/day was well tolerated in patients with DLB and is expected to exhibit lasting effects, improving impaired cognitive function and psychiatric symptoms up to 52 weeks.
What are the long term effects of taking donepezil?
Do dementia drugs prolong life?
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the main cause of dementia. At present, there are no curative drugs for AD; however, symptomatic drugs such as cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) or memantine may delay progression of the disease. This effect combined with psychosocial interventions may increase quality of life (QOL) [6].
What drugs make dementia worse?
The researchers found that anticholinergic drugs in general were associated with a higher risk of dementia. More specifically, however, anticholinergic antidepressants, antipsychotic drugs, anti-Parkinson’s drugs, bladder drugs, and epilepsy drugs were associated with the highest increase in risk.
What medication causes memory problems?
A number of prescription and over-the-counter medications can interfere with or cause loss of memory. Possible culprits include: antidepressants, antihistamines, anti-anxiety medications, muscle relaxants, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, and pain medications given after surgery.
What’s the side effects of donepezil?
Donepezil may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:
- nausea.
- vomiting.
- diarrhea.
- loss of appetite.
- weight loss.
- frequent urination.
- difficulty controlling urination.
- muscle cramps.
What are the nine drugs that cause Alzheimer’s?
An estimated 47 million people worldwide were living with dementia in 2015, while in the United States around 5.7 million people have Alzheimer dementia, according to the study. Anticholergenic drugs include, but are not limited to, Artane, Bentyl, Oxytrol, Neosol, Symax and Vesicare.