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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Are Donepezil And Venlafaxine Advisable For Dementia And Depression?

I question why I was prescribed Donepezil for dementia and Venlafaxine for depression . I am 77 years old. I am also a retired U.S. Marine who served 20+ years. I went to the VA for medical help. I had back pain. They put me on Hydrocodone for 14 years. They then took me off COLD TURKEY without any other assistance. I went home and LOST SEVERAL YEARS OF MEMORY . When I requested help they put me on Donepezil and Venlafaxine . I tried them and they did nothing. JUST LIKE THE VA.
Tue, 27 Feb 2018
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Addiction Medicine Specialist,  's  Response
Difficult to say without an examination. Loss of memory is not a common side effect from narcotic withdrawal and not that common even if someone were on very high doses and zoning out on it.

Donepezil is one of the more common drugs for dementia and Venlafaxine is one of the more common for depression. They would both take months to be able to see if they did anything and it would require an outside observer to be able to gauge the effect.
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Are Donepezil And Venlafaxine Advisable For Dementia And Depression?

Difficult to say without an examination. Loss of memory is not a common side effect from narcotic withdrawal and not that common even if someone were on very high doses and zoning out on it. Donepezil is one of the more common drugs for dementia and Venlafaxine is one of the more common for depression. They would both take months to be able to see if they did anything and it would require an outside observer to be able to gauge the effect.