There is a risk of the muscle injury rhabdomyolysis with Aricept (donepezil), a drug commonly used to manage cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients.
This is according to a recent study published online by CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal), “Risk of rhabdomyolysis with donepezil compared with rivastigmine or galantamine: a population-based cohort study”.
From the Abstract for this September 16, 2019 CMAJ medical journal article we get the following:
BACKGROUND: [Aricept (donepezil), Exelon (rivastigmine), and Razadyne (galantamine)] are popular cholinesterase inhibitors used to manage the symptoms of Alzheimer disease and other dementias; regulatory agencies in several countries warn about a possible risk of rhabdomyolysis with [Aricept (donepezil)], based on information from case reports. Our goal was to investigate the 30-day risk of admission to hospital with rhabdomyolysis associated with initiating [Aricept (donepezil)] versus other cholinesterase inhibitors.
We will watch for further developments about Aricept associated with rhabdomyolysis, including a possible Aricept label change with increased muscle injury side effect warnings in the US.
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