Dementia treatment

Donepezil hydrochloride
Treating dementia (eg, impairment of memory, judgment, and abstract thinking; changes in personality) in patients with Alzheimer disease.
Current theories on the pathogenesis of the cognitive signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease attribute some of them to a deficiency of cholinergic neurotransmission.

Donepezil hydrochloride is postulated to exert its therapeutic effect by enhancing cholinergic function. This is accomplished by increasing the concentration of acetylcholine through reversible inhibition of its hydrolysis by acetylcholinesterase. There is no evidence that Donepezil alters the course of the underlying dementing process.

Donepezil has been assigned to pregnancy category C by the FDA. Animal studies have revealed an increase in stillbirths and decrease in survival through postpartum day four. There are no controlled data in human pregnancy. Donepezil should only be given in pregnancy when benefit outweighs risk.

There are no data on the excretion of donepezil into human milk.