How effective is the new medication for alzeimer disease aricept (donepezil)?

Depends: The key to make this drugs successfully is to have socialization and to keep busy for activities. Also make sure the other medications does not cause worsening of confusion. Have a geriatrican or geriatric pharmacist to review them.

It varies: It could be early as three weeks from the beginning of the medication to make the medication effectively. Remember, it simply slows down the progression, not cure. I would stop the medication when the person is becoming more chair bounded or bed bounded or no longer accepting to feed. Remember Aricept (donepezil) deal with three main components - behavioral, functional and cognitive.