Rivastigmine User Reviews & Ratings

• Rel...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 5, 2015

Rivastigmine for Alzheimer's Disease "Mom, 85, started using the Exelon Patch (13.9) about one year ago, and it has made such a wonderful improvement in her mood, quality of life, and cognitive ability. It has given her back a life and provided the family quality time to enjoy her. Before the patch, her memory was poor, she was agitated and continually negative, suspicious, and lashing out at everyone. Thanks to the Exelon patch, she's able to have a normal, peaceful life, without any type of side effects. We feel very blessed to have been told about the patch, and I try to inform people with similar situations of the impact it has had on my mom."

• THE...
• April 17, 2012

Rivastigmine for Alzheimer's Disease "I am 71, and my mom died at 91 after a long decline into total dementia, though not Alzheimer's. When she was given Exelon, she became quite difficult and insulting, so we took her off. I was experiencing initial stages of decline at the time, and so I tried her remaining patches for 10 days, at 4mg strength. I immediately felt an improvement in clarity and motivation, but I am under heavy blood pressure medicines and still did not have the ability to do all I wanted. After 10 days, I stopped the patches and quickly went back to my somewhat confused and listless situation. Three months later, I got a prescription and began using the patches again with significant improvement. But a 9.5 dose makes me aggressive. The problem is the price."

• Anonymous
• January 12, 2011

Rivastigmine for Parkinson's Disease "My mother has been on this medication for 2 1/2 weeks. With each day she has become more and more agitated, confused, confrontational, and delusional. I am taking her off of it. It may be that this medicine is better suited for Alzheimer's patients than Parkinson's patients."

• Wif...
• February 16, 2015

Rivastigmine for Alzheimer's Disease "My husband has advanced Alzheimer's and has been on 3 weeks of the 4.6 patch. He has become sexually active after months of no sex, but now wants it every night. I'm afraid to get him to the next level."

• Joa...
• July 14, 2015

Rivastigmine for Alzheimer's Disease "My mother was put on the patch several years ago. It is difficult to measure its effectiveness with a degenerative disease, but I think she has declined a little slower than others I have seen. However, the cost is terrible even after Medicare Part D pays."

• Anonymous
• January 24, 2015

Rivastigmine for Alzheimer's Disease "My mother has been on the patch with no side effects at all. She has only been taking it for a few weeks, but I can tell a huge change in her confusion, and she's not as aggressive. The only problem is how expensive it is."

• not...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 2, 2016

Rivastigmine for Alzheimer's Disease "I have 7 immediate family members that had Alzheimer's and died, except my younger sister, Debra, age 61. She resides in a nursing home and was admitted 1/13/13. My doctor put me on the Exelon patch around that time. I have enjoyed extra energy. I have been diagnosed with mild cognitive loss. I am 63. No adverse side effects from the Exelon patch. Don't like the black gummy circle it leaves on skin. On 9/20/2015, I went to my pharmacy for my Exelon patch. The script they gave me was for rivastigmine, with a bright red sticker: a generic equivalent drug has been dispensed of the same quality and at a lower price. Untrue. It falls off and sticks to clothes. 1st script at generic price, 2nd and on full price of Exelon. Insurance won't pay."

• Car...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 18, 2019

For Alzheimer's Disease "I gave my 82-year-old mother 1 Rivastigmine 6 mg capsule, and I almost lost her. It started out with profuse sweating, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. Rushed to the hospital, she could not speak, arm spasms, confusion, hypothermia, sepsis, altered mental status, hypertension, and atrial fibrillation. This medication almost was the end for my mother. It is poison!!!! It took a week for this medication to get out of her system. All I have to say: DO NOT TAKE THIS MEDICATION/POISON!!!!"

• Dus...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 21, 2017

Rivastigmine for Alzheimer's Disease "I used one month's worth of the 4.6 patches without any problems. I stepped up to the next level (I think 9.5) and immediately had headaches, nausea, and tardive dyskinesia. I went back down to the 4.6 level and now have constant headaches, nausea, and ringing in my ears."

• nor...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 18, 2014

Rivastigmine for Parkinson's Disease "My husband has Parkinson's dementia and was put on Exelon patch 4 months ago. He has psoriasis, and the patch (we think) may have triggered it to be worse. He does not want to stop the patch because of the good mental alertness he receives from it, but the rash has become more widespread on his upper torso. The doctor does not believe it is Exelon, but I have begun to remove the patch after 12 hours, and the rash has improved. I believe the dose may be too high and causes the dermatitis. Overall, it is a good medicine."

• Jul...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 2, 2020

For Parkinson's Disease "The neurologist started my husband on this pill, rivastigmine, 6 weeks ago, starting with one 1.5 mg pill at night. Two weeks later, two pills, and then three pills after 4 weeks. He never got to the three-pill level. After he started taking them, he progressively got worse and worse: agitation, hallucinations (which he never had before), not sleeping, crazy dreams, and talking all night. I didn’t connect this with the new pills immediately, I should have. After 5 weeks and him getting more and more intimidating, I finally thought of these pills. Called the doctor, and we went back to one pill for one night and then off completely. It took two days, but finally, he started to settle down. Now he is fine, 10 days later. My suggestion? Never take this pill!!!!!"

• Dad...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• January 1, 2022

For Alzheimer's Disease "My father's dementia diagnosis has never been clear. Although treated for Alzheimer's, he also suffered with hallucinations, which was an indicator of Lewy Bodies. My father's “dementia” was treated with Rivastigmine for approximately seven years, with a steady increase in dosage as the dementia worsened. The last two years, he was on the highest dose. His hallucinations had worsened significantly, and he became very agitated. He began to climb on furniture. My father was physically fit at this stage. I asked for a review of his medications to see if being treated for Lewy Bodies rather than Alzheimer's would be beneficial. The consultant decided to try Memantine. However, the consultant abruptly stopped the Rivastigmine. He was never given the Memantine. Within 72 hours, my father had severe withdrawal symptoms. He had complete cognitive failure, he could no longer walk or talk. He couldn't support his head and could no longer swallow. He died at age 78 two days later."

• ELL...
• February 26, 2019

For Alzheimer's Disease "75-year-old mom was put on the Exelon patch initial dose February 2018. Cognitively she remained stable with some decline starting 7 months later and agitation. No doctor had mentioned her dose should be increased to the next level until the end of October 2018. At this time she was declining cognitively and more and more aggressive towards my father. This aggression and agitation became worse after increasing the dose. But the doctor felt it was best to continue. Finally, my dad had reached the end of his wire last week (February 22nd, 2019). Her behavior was so difficult to deal with-spitting, swearing, punching, uncontrollable at the stores i.e., wanting to buy so much. He stopped applying the patch 4 days ago, and wow, she is calmer, easier to direct, and foul language has stopped. I'm hoping this lasts and isn't temporary. Not sure at this point if she should go back to the lower dose patch or try Aricept or just leave her as is now with 12.5 Seroquel twice a day and Risperidone 0.25 mg twice a day."

• xeo...
• June 5, 2013

Rivastigmine for Alzheimer's Disease "My father has been on the patch now about 2 1/2 months for Alzheimer's dementia. He stepped up to the 13.3 mg about 2 weeks ago, and the patches don't want to stay on. The nurse asked if they could use skin prep before the application, but the Novartis helpline didn't answer that question. They are going to check out the lot the patches came from to be sure it's not a manufacturer issue."

• 63...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 19, 2017

For Alzheimer's Disease "The patch seemed to make me more clear in my thought process, more aware of my surroundings, and I was able to be more active. HOWEVER, the serious burning on the skin caused me to stop the drug. For the first 10 days, I did not have skin irritation from the patches; on the 11th day, a patch SERIOUSLY burned my skin, then all the other sites became serious wounds. Drainage, severe itching, infections, and probable permanent scarring."

• War...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 8, 2019

For Alzheimer's Disease "My aunt was prescribed Exelon patch after being on Aricept for two years. Her MMSE scores dropped 10 points within one year (out of a total score of 30)! This patch did not stop her decline and might even promote the decline! Be careful!"

• For...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 20, 2020

For Alzheimer's Disease "My mom was put on the smaller dosage patch of rivastigmine for a few weeks, and after little improvement with her Alzheimer's disease, was upped to a larger patch. She has been on it for 7 months and has seen wonderful improvement. She has so many good days compared to before the patch! Recently, she even started reading again, which used to be her passion. We are so grateful for this medication."

• Ron...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 30, 2018

For Alzheimer's Disease "Side effects and risks make this a dangerous drug to try. Have your pharmacist check for interactions with other drugs taken. Bad choice for patients with heart problems or if on heart medications. Bad choice if on antipsychotics. Exelon can cause hypertension and slow the heart and other very bad side effects like tremor and dizziness. Doctors may not monitor the effects of this medication adequately. Read about its side effects very carefully."

• Sar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 10, 2020

For Alzheimer's Disease "Mom started the rivastigmine at a dose of 4.6, and in 24 hours she had improved significantly. She napped less, laughed, and actually recalled my brother's phone number. However, after 4 weeks she went up to a 9 mg patch, and in a few days I noticed she wasn't as spry. A bit agitated, napping more, unsteady, it's like she reverted to no treatment at all. See what the doctor suggests."

• PA ...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 25, 2023

For Alzheimer's Disease "We tried the patch, 4.6 mg, for 2 months on our 81-year-old mother. For the first few weeks, there seemed to be about a 2 percent improvement in her mood during the day. She was still argumentative at night. However, she quickly developed almost all of the side effects, including dizziness, insomnia, diarrhea, and her delusions increased. She became extremely hostile at night and consistently tried to leave. We had to block the doors at night. Once, she came at me with her hairbrush. At no time did her memory or clarity improve. We are furious with the doctor who prescribed this medication. It cost us $100 per month and did nothing but make her worse! You are supposed to change the application site every 24 hours and not put it there again for 2 weeks. How is someone with dementia going to remember where they put it last and not repeat that area for 2 weeks? If we hadn't brought her to stay with us, who knows what would have happened to her!"

• Spi...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 22, 2019

For Alzheimer's Disease "Rivastigmine medication is very expensive, and I could not tell that it was helping my wife. I had such high expectations that I got a 3-month supply and now had to take her off because she has trouble breathing and sweating problems."

• mai...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 27, 2018

For Parkinson's Disease "My mother was given these patches and steadily became aggressive, paranoid, depressed, confused, tired but not sleeping properly, and most worrying, constant visual hallucinations. She was hospitalized for over two months and recovered to her old self. We believe there is some kind of buildup that results in these side effects. She is now off the patches, and we are already seeing a significant improvement."

• Par...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 22, 2022

Rivastigmine for Parkinson's Disease "My husband has been on this medicine for a month. His kids and mine can't believe how much more alert he is! We were all getting very concerned that his Parkinson's was advancing quicker. He has DBS, which helps with shaking, and now this medicine for his mind. Very happy."

• Anonymous
• December 31, 2011

For Alzheimer's Disease "My husband has had seven months of extra added quality of life following the Rivastigmine patch that was prescribed back in March. Unfortunately, the effect appears to have been lost over the past six weeks. I am now waiting for advice on how to discontinue the use of the patch and fear the return of confusion, restlessness, agitation due to awareness of the memory problem."

• Don...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 14, 2022

For Alzheimer's Disease "Takes a few weeks to start seeing results for me. But my long-term memory is much improved, and short-term had moderate improvement. Donepezil messes up my sleep. Galantamine makes me shake. But rivastigmine is so smooth and offers more long-term improvement, being slowly reversible and also the only acetylcholinesterase inhibitor that reduces butyrylcholinesterase in the glia of the brain."