Donepezil Hydrochloride 10mg Film-Coated Tablets
PACKAGE LEAFLET: INFORMATION FOR THE USER
Donepezil hydrochloride 10 mg film-coated tablets donepezil hydrochloride
You and your caregiver should read all of this leaflet carefully before you start taking this medicine because it contains important information for you.
• Keep this leaflet.You may need to read it again.
• Ifyou have any further questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
• This medicine has been prescribed for you. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their signs of illness are the same as yours.
• Ifyou get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.
In this leaflet:
1. What Donepezil hydrochloride is and what it is used for
2. What you need to know before you take Donepezil hydrochloride
3. How to take Donepezil hydrochloride
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Donepezil hydrochloride
6. Contents of the pack and further information
1. What Donepezil hydrochloride is and what it is used for
Donepezil hydrochloride belongs to a group of medicines called acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. Donepezil hydrochloride increases the levels of a substance (acetylcholine) in the brain involved in memory function by slowing down the breakdown of acetylcholine.
It is used to treat the symptoms of dementia in people diagnosed as having mild and moderately severe Alzheimer's disease. The symptoms include increasing memory loss, confusion and behavioural changes. As a result, sufferers of Alzheimer's disease find it more and more difficult to carry out their normal daily activities.
Donepezil hydrochloride is for use in adult patients only.
2. What you need to know before you take Donepezil hydrochloride Do not take Donepezil hydrochloride
• if you are allergic (hypersensitive) to donepezil hydrochloride, or to piperidine derivates or to any of the other ingredients of Donepezil hydrochloride listed in section 6.
Warnings and precautions
Tell your doctor or pharmacist before starting to take Donepezil Hydrochloride ifyou have or have had:
• stomach or duodenal ulcers
• seizures (fits) or convulsions
• a heart condition (irregular or very slow heart beat)
• asthma or other long term lung disease
• liver problems or hepatitis
• difficulty passing urine or mild kidney disease
Also tell your doctor ifyou are pregnant or think you might be pregnant
Other medicines and donepezil hydrochloride
Please tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, or have recently taken, any other medicine. This includes medicines that your doctor has not prescribed for you but which you have bought yourself from a chemist/pharmacist. It also applies to medicines you may take some time in the future if you continue to take Donepezil Hydrochloride. This is because these medicines may weaken or strengthen the effects of Donepezil Hydrochloride.
Especially tell your doctor ifyou are taking any of the following types of medicines:
• otherAlzheimer's disease medicines (e.g. galantamine)
• pain killers or treatment for arthritis e.g. aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drugs such as ibuprofen, or diclofenac sodium
• anticholinergics medicines, e.g. tolterodine
• antibiotics e.g. erythromycin, rifampicin
• antifungal medicines (e.g. ketoconazole and itraconazole)
• anti-depressants e.g. fluoxetine
• anti-convulsants e.g. phenytoin, carbamazepine
• medication for aheart condition e.g. quinidine, beta-blockers (propanolol and atenolol)
• muscle relaxants e.g. diazepam, succinylcholine
• general anaesthetic
• medicines obtained without aprescription e.g. herbal remedies
If you are going to have an operation that requires you to have a general anaesthetic, you should tell your doctor and the anaesthetist that you are taking Donepezil Hydrochloride. This is because your medicine may affect the amount of anaesthetic needed.
Donepezil Hydrochloride can be used in patients with kidney disease or mild to moderate liver disease. Tell your doctor first if you have kidney or liver disease. Patients with severe liver disease should not take Donepezil Hydrochloride.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist the name of your caregiver. Your caregiver will help you to take your medicine as it is prescribed.
Donepezil hydrochloride with food and drink
Food will not influence the effect of Donepezil Hydrochloride.
Donepezil Hydrochloride should not be taken with alcohol because alcohol may change its effect.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding
Donepezil hydrochloride should not be used during pregnancy.
Donepezil hydrochloride should not be used while breast-feeding.
If you are pregnant, or think you might be pregnant, ask your doctor for advice before taking any medicine.
Driving and using machines
Alzheimer's disease may impair your ability to drive or operate machinery and you must not perform these activities unless your doctor tells you that it is safe to do so. Also, your medicine can cause tiredness, dizziness and muscle cramps. Ifyou experience any of these side effects, you must not drive or operate machinery.
Donepezil hydrochloride tablets contain lactose
If you have been told by your doctor that you have an intolerance to some sugars, you should contact your doctor before taking this medicine.
3. How to take Donepezil hydrochloride
How much Donepezil Hydrochloride should you take?
The usual starting dose is 5 mg donepezil hydrochloride every night. After one month, your doctor may tell you to take 10 mg donepezil hydrochloride every night.
Swallow your Donepezil Hydrochloride tablet with a drink of water before you go to bed at night.
The tablet strength you take may change depending on the length of time you have been taking the medicine and on what your doctor recommends. The maximum recommended dose is 10 mg each night.
Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor has told you. You should check with your doctor or pharmacist ifyou are not sure.
Do not alter the dose yourself without your doctor's advice.
For how long should you take Donepezil Hydrochloride?
Your doctor or pharmacist will advise you on how long you should continue to take your tablets. You will need to see your doctor from time to time to review your treatment and assess your symptoms.
Ifyou stop taking Donepezil hydrochloride
Do not stop taking your tablets unless told to do so by your doctor. If you stop taking Donepezil hydrochloride, the benefits of your treatment will gradually fade away.
If you take more Donepezil hydrochloride than you should
Do not exceed the dose that your doctor has told you to take. Call your doctor immediately if you take more than you should. If you cannot contact your doctor, contact the local hospital Accident and Emergency department at once. Always take the tablets and the carton with you to the hospital so that the doctor knows what has been taken.
Symptoms of overdose include feeling and being sick, drooling, sweating, slow heartbeat, low blood pressure (light-headedness or dizziness when standing), breathing problems, losing consciousness and seizures (fits) or convulsions, as well as increasing muscles weakness, apossible life threatening condition.
If you forget to take Donepezil hydrochloride
If you forget to take a tablet, just take one tablet the following day at the usual time. Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten tablet. If you forget to take your medicine for more than a week, call your doctor before taking anymore medicine.
If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
4. Possible side effects
Like all medicines, donepezil hydrochloride can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
The following side effects have been reported by people taking donepezil hydrochloride.
Tell your doctor if you have any of these effects while you are taking donepezil hydrochloride.
Serious side effects:
You must tell your doctor immediately if you notice these serious side effects mentioned. You may need urgent medical treatment.
• liver damage e.g. hepatitis. The symptoms of hepatitis are feeling or being sick, loss of appetite, feeling generally unwell, fever, itching, yellowing of the skin and eyes, and dark coloured urine (affects 1 to 10 users in 10,000)
• stomach or duodenal ulcers. The symptoms of ulcers are stomach pain and discomfort (indigestion) felt between the navel and the breast bone (affects 1 to 10 users in 1,000)
• bleeding in the stomach or intestines. This may cause you to pass black tar like stools or visible blood from the rectum (affects 1 to 10 users in 1,000)
• seizures (fits) or convulsions (affects 1 to 10 users in 1,000)
• Fever with muscle stiffness, sweating or a lowered level of consciousness (a disorder called "Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome") (affects fewerthan 1 user in 10,000).
Very common side effects (affects more than 1userin10):
• diarrhoea
• feeling or being sick
• headaches
Common side effects (affects 1 to 10 users in 100):
• muscle cramp
• tiredness
• difficulty in sleeping (insomnia)
• the common cold
• loss of appetite
• hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not really there)
• unusual dreams including nightmares
• agitation
• aggressive behaviour
• fainting
• dizziness
• stomach feeling uncomfortable
• rash
• itching
• passing urine uncontrollably
• pain
• accidents (patients may be more prone to falls and accidental injury)
Uncommon side effects (affects 1 to 10 users in 1,000):
• slow heart beat
Rare side effects (affects 1 to 10 users in 10,000):
• stiffness, shaking or uncontrollable movement especially of the face and tongue but also ofthe limbs
Reporting of side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard. By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
5. How to store Donepezil hydrochloride
Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the blister and the outer carton after EXP. The first two digits indicate the month and the last four digits indicate the year. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
This medicinal product does not require any special storage conditions.
Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
6. Contents of the pack and further information What Donepezil hydrochloride contains
• The active substance is donepezil hydrochloride. Each tablet contains 10 mg donepezil hydrochloride, equivalent to 9.12 mg of donepezil.
• The other ingredients in the tablet core are lactose monohydrate, microcrystalline cellulose (E460), maize starch, hydroxypropyl cellulose (E463), magnesium stearate (E572).
The ingredients in the tablet coating are hypromellose (E464), macrogols, talc, titanium dioxide (E171) and purified water.
What Donepezil hydrochloride looks like and contents of the pack
Donepezil hydrochloride 10 mg, film-coated tablets are white to off-white, round film-coated tablets, debossed with J on one side and 10 on the other side.
The film-coated tablets are available inblisters of28,50,56,98,100 film-coated tablets.
Not all pack sizes may be marketed.
MarketingAuthorisation Holder and Manufacturer
MarketingAuthorisation Holder:
Jubilant Pharmaceuticals nv Axxes Business Park Guldensporenpark 22 - Block C B-9820 Merelbeke Belgium
Manufacturers:
PSI supply nv Axxes Business Park Guldensporenpark 22 - Block C B-9820 Merelbeke Belgium
This leaflet was last revised in September 2013.