Rivastigmine Tartrate is a prescription used for the treatment of dementia. It is related to Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Dementia is not a specific disease and is an overall term that describes a group of symptoms. Dementia may affect memory as well as thinking and social abilities. These are severe enough to interfere with your daily life. Through this condition, usually, involves memory loss with different causes. In older adults, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of progressive dementia. The symptoms of dementia vary depending on the cause but common signs and symptoms may include:

Memory loss is usually noticed by family members
Difficulty communicating or finding words
Difficulty reasoning or problems solving
Difficulty with visual and spatial abilities like getting lost while driving
Difficulty with planning and organizing
Difficulty handling complete tasks
Difficulty with coordination and motor functions
Disorientation or confusion

Dementia may also cause psychological changes such as:

Depression
Personality changes
Inappropriate behavior
Anxiety
Agitation
Hallucinations
Paranoia

Dementia ranges in severity from the mildest stage. It is when just the beginning to affect a person’s functioning. The most severe stage is when the person must depend completely on others for basic activities of living. This condition occurs when once-healthy neurons in the brain stop working, lose connections with other cells, and die. While everyone loses some neurons as they age, people with dementia experience far greater loss.

Rivastigmine Tartrate belongs to the class of medications called cholinesterase inhibitors. This comes as a capsule for oral administration. Each capsule is available in the dosage forms of 1.5 mg, 3 mg, 4.5 mg, and 6 mg. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) already approved this medication.

How does this medication work?

Rivastigmine Tartrate slows the breakdown of a neurotransmitter in the brain called acetylcholine. Neurotransmitters are stored in nerve cells in the brain and nervous system. These are also involved in transmitting messages between the nerve cells. The acetylcholinesterase is being broken down by another natural chemical as wells as acetylcholine in the brain is continually being released by nerve cells.

One of the features of both Alzheimer’s diseaseandParkinson’s disease appears to be a lower than normal level of acetylcholine in the brain. This is due in part to degeneration of brain cells, in particular, those that normally release acetylcholine. This drug increases the level of acetylcholine in the brain. It is by preventing the action of acetylcholinesterase which is the compound that usually breaks it down. This reduces the collapse of acetylcholine that is unconstrained from lasting safe nerve cells in the brain.

This medication may take as long as 12 weeks to begin working. Individual responses to this medication will vary. This drug does not affect the basic progressive process of the disease. The result of this is an increased activity of acetylcholine in the brain. This improves the cognitive processes like learning and memory, thinking, and improves symptoms of dementia.

How to use this medicine?

The recommended starting dose of Rivastigmine Tartrate is 1.5 mg twice a day. Each dose is to be taken with food. Your doctor will usually begin with a low dose and gradually increase it over 2-4 weeks. The maximum recommended adult dose is 6 milligrams twice a day. Remember to take it at the same time and in the same way each day. Take it regularly for the best benefit of this product. Drink plenty of fluids while having this treatment.

The capsule is to be taken by mouth depending on the dosage that will be prescribed to you. Swallow the capsule as a whole with a full glass of water. Do not break, chew, or crush it. Take each dose exactly as it is given by your doctor. Do not take in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than the prescription. Let your doctor know if your condition does not improve or if it gets worse.

Possible side effects of this drug:

Upset stomach
Nausea
Vomiting
Loss of appetite
Weight loss
Weakness
Diarrhea
Dizziness
Joint pain
Swelling in your hands or feet
Cough
Runny or stuffy nose
Drowsiness
Insomnia or sleep problems
Headache
Increased sweating

Let your doctor know if you have these serious side effects:

Fainting
Slow or irregular heartbeat
Vomit that looks like coffee grounds
Black stools
Seizures
Severe stomach or abdominal pain
Trouble urinating

If you have signs of an allergic reaction, call your doctor right away:

Hives or itching
Swelling of your lips, face, throat, or tongue
Trouble breathing

Things to remember while having this drug:

When starting treatment with Rivastigmine Tartrate, the dose is being increased slowly to lessen the chances of side effects.
If a dose is accidentally missed, just leave out the missed dose and take your next dose as usual at the same time. Do not take a double dose to make up for the missed one.
This drug should not be used in people who are allergic to any ingredient of this product and those who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
In people with severe dementia associated with Parkinson’s or other types of dementia or memory problems, this drug should not be used.
This should be used with caution in people with liver or kidney problems, heart problems, current active peptic ulcers with a history of asthma, or seizures.
Rivastigmine Tartrate can potentially worsen the movement-related symptoms of Parkinson’s like tremors. People with this disease should be monitored for these problems as this drug may not be suitable for them.
Let your doctor know if you have any medical history such as problems urinating, lung or breathing problems, and stomach or intestinal problems.
Do not share this with others even if they have the same symptoms as yours.
This medication may make you dizzy or drowsy. Do not drive or operate any machinery until you can do it safely.
Tell your doctor if you have current medications including herbal supplements or vitamins.
While having Rivastigmine Tartrate, limit alcoholic beverages.
Keep this product at room temperature far from moisture or heat.