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Donepezil

Medication cholinesterase inhibitor other
Aka: Aricept
Brands seen in Singapore: Aricept, Aricept Evess, Adlarity, Alzer, Torpezil
Not medical advice. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before you start, stop or change the timing of anything you take.
How to use
What it’s for
Symptoms of alzheimer's and other dementias — not a cure
When to take
HealthHub: full benefit takes a few weeks of regular use
Take with
With or without food · label times it in the evening
Pros & cons
Pros
  • HealthHub: may improve thinking in some patients
  • Once a day, with or without food
  • Tablets, orodispersible tablets and a patch in SG
Cons
  • Nausea, diarrhoea, dizziness and poor sleep are common
  • Slow or irregular heartbeat is a flagged rare effect
  • HealthHub: it does not stop dementia getting worse
Sources
  1. HSA — Listing of Registered Therapeutic Products (data.gov.sg d_767279312753558cbf19d48344577084), Forensicclassification column; cached at /tmp/hsa_all.json and filtered locally, not re-fetched · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Aricept Film-coated Tablets 23mg SIN14575P · Aricept Evess 5/10mg SIN13645P/SIN13646P · ADLARITY TRANSDERMAL SYSTEM 5/10 mg/24 hours SIN17381P/SIN17382P · ALZER 5/10 SIN15119P/SIN16006P · TORPEZIL 5/10 MG SIN15250P/SIN15251P — all 15 rows 'Prescription Only'”
  2. MOH National Drug Formulary (Singapore) — ARICEPT FILM-COATED TABLETS 23MG [SIN14575P], product information · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “ARICEPT FILM-COATED TABLETS 23MG [SIN14575P] … DONEPEZIL 20.98 MG EQV DONEPEZIL HYDROCHLORIDE - 23 MG … Forensic Classification PRESCRIPTION ONLY MEDICINES … ATC code N06DA02 … Prescription-only Medicines with Exemptions for Supply without Prescription NA”
  3. MOH National Drug Formulary (Singapore) — ARICEPT 23MG [SIN14575P], 4.1 Therapeutic indication · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “ARICEPT® is indicated for the symptomatic treatment of mild to moderate and severe Alzheimer's dementia. ARICEPT® Film-coated Tablet 23mg should only be administered to patients whose condition is not adequately controlled by a lower dose of donepezil hydrochloride 10mg.”
  4. MOH National Drug Formulary (Singapore) — ARICEPT 23MG [SIN14575P], 4.2 Posology: 5 mg and 10 mg steps · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Treatment is initiated at 5 mg/day (once-a-day dosing) … Following 4–6 weeks clinical assessment of treatment at 5 mg/day, the dose of ARICEPT® can be increased to 10 mg/day (once-a-day dosing).”
  5. MOH National Drug Formulary (Singapore) — ARICEPT 23MG [SIN14575P], 4.2 Posology: the 23 mg ceiling · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “If well tolerated and after being stabilized on a daily dose of 10 mg for at least 3 months, the dose may be increased to 23mg (given as one ARICEPT® Film-coated Tablet 23 mg) once daily”
  6. MOH National Drug Formulary (Singapore) — ARICEPT 23MG [SIN14575P], 4.2 method of administration · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “ARICEPT® Film-coated Tablets can be taken once daily in the evening just prior to retiring and can be taken with or without food.”
  7. MOH National Drug Formulary (Singapore) — ARICEPT 23MG [SIN14575P], 4.3 Contraindications · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “ARICEPT® is contraindicated in patients with a known hypersensitivity to donepezil hydrochloride, piperidine derivatives, or to any excipients used in the formulation. ARICEPT® is contraindicated in pregnancy.”
  8. HealthHub (MOH Singapore) — Donepezil, medication information leaflet, last reviewed 18 February 2025 · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Donepezil belongs to a class of medications known as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. It is used to reduce the symptoms of mild to moderate and severe Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia”
  9. HealthHub (MOH Singapore) — Donepezil, what it does and does not do · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “It will not cure or stop the dementia from getting worse, but it may improve the ability to think in some patients and slow down the worsening of these symptoms.”
  10. HealthHub (MOH Singapore) — Donepezil, how to take it · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Donepezil can be taken with or without food. … Donepezil needs to be taken regularly for a few weeks before you can feel its full benefits.”
  11. HealthHub (MOH Singapore) — Donepezil, common side effects · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Drowsiness or feeling tired … Nausea, vomiting … Diarrhoea … Dizziness … Difficulty sleeping … Headache, loss of appetite or weight loss, muscle cramps”
  12. HealthHub (MOH Singapore) — Donepezil, rare but serious side effects · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Rarely this medication may cause: Seizures (fits) … Slow heartbeat … Fast or irregular heartbeat, fainting episodes (signs and symptoms of an abnormal heart beating rhythm (prolonged QTc interval))”
  13. HealthHub (MOH Singapore) — Donepezil, precautions · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Medical conditions such as … Heart problems, slow or irregular heartbeat … Liver disease … Seizures (fits) … Respiratory diseases … Stomach or intestinal ulcers … Difficulty in passing urine”
  14. HealthHub (MOH Singapore) — Donepezil, food and medication to avoid · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Avoid drinking alcohol while taking Donepezil as it can cause excessive sleepiness.”
  15. NHS medicines A–Z — Taking donepezil with other medicines and herbal supplements (reviewed 15 March 2023) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Some medicines do not mix well with donepezil. They can increase the risk of side effects … take medicines used for heart problems like amiodarone … digoxin or verapamil … St John's wort … can lower the levels of donepezil in your blood.”
  16. NHS medicines A–Z — Taking donepezil with painkillers and before anaesthetic · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Do not take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) … such as aspirin or ibuprofen … without checking with a doctor first. … are due to have general or local anaesthetic (for an operation or a minor procedure)”
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Updated 2026-08-29. Every line above traces to a numbered source. Kozen-X is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. It lists what published sources have written down — nothing more. A pair not listed is unrecorded, not cleared. Before you start, stop or re-time anything, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.