Exelon Medication Summary
No separate FDA Medication Guide was found for this label. This summary is based on FDA/DailyMed prescribing information.
What is this medication?
This medication is described in FDA/DailyMed prescribing information. No separate FDA Medication Guide was found for this label. This summary is based on FDA/DailyMed prescribing information.
What is this medication used for?
Exelon® (rivastigmine tartrate) is indicated for the treatment of mild to moderate dementia of the Alzheimer's type. Exelon® (rivastigmine tartrate) is indicated for the treatment of mild to moderate dementia associated with Parkinson’s disease. The dementia of Parkinson’s disease is purportedly characterized by impairments in executive function, memory retrieval, and attention in patients with an established diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. The diagnosis of the dementia of Parkinson’s disease, however, can reliably be made in patients in whom a progressive dementia syndrome occurs (without the necessity to document the specific deficits described above) at least 2 years after a diagnosis.
What should I know before taking it?
Exelon® (rivastigmine tartrate) is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to rivastigmine, other carbamate derivatives or other components of the formulation (see DESCRIPTION).
What important warnings are listed?
Gastrointestinal Adverse Reactions Exelon ® (rivastigmine tartrate) use is associated with significant gastrointestinal adverse reactions, including nausea and vomiting, anorexia, and weight loss. For this reason, patients should always be started at a dose of 1.5 mg BID and titrated to their maintenance dose. If treatment is interrupted for longer than several days, treatment should be reinitiated with the lowest daily dose (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION) to reduce the possibility of severe vomiting and its potentially serious sequelae (e.g., there has been one postmarketing report of severe vomiting with esophageal rupture following inappropriate reinitiation of treatment with a 4.5-mg.
How is this medication usually taken?
Dementia of the Alzheimer’s T ype The dosage of Exelon® (rivastigmine tartrate) shown to be effective in controlled clinical trials in Alzheimer’s disease is 6-12 mg/day, given as twice-a-day dosing (daily doses of 3 to 6 mg BID). There is evidence from the clinical trials that doses at the higher end of this range may be more beneficial. The starting dose of Exelon is 1.5 mg twice a day (BID). If this dose is well tolerated, after a minimum of 2 weeks of treatment, the dose may be increased to 3 mg BID. Subsequent increases to 4.5 mg BID and 6 mg BID should be attempted after a minimum of 2 weeks at the previous dose. If adverse effects (e.g., nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, loss of.
What side effects are listed?
Dementia of the Alzheimer’s T ype Adverse Events Leading to Discontinuation The rate of discontinuation due to adverse events in controlled clinical trials of Exelon® (rivastigmine tartrate) was 15% for patients receiving 6-12 mg/day compared to 5% for patients on placebo during forced weekly dose titration. While on a maintenance dose, the rates were 6% for patients on Exelon compared to 4% for those on placebo. The most common adverse events leading to discontinuation, defined as those occurring in at least 2% of patients and at twice the incidence seen in placebo patients, are shown in Table 1. Study Phase Titration Maintenance Overall Placebo Exelon ® greater than or equal to 6-12.
What interactions are listed?
The FDA/DailyMed label should be reviewed for complete details.
Where can I find the official prescribing information?
Review the full prescribing information on DailyMed: https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=fead084a-a376-4d57-bdf0-aa7ed3655505
⚠️ Disclaimer
This summary is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult your doctor, pharmacist, or other licensed healthcare professional before starting, stopping, or changing any medicine. Read full medical disclaimer.