Tacrine Dosing

For most people who are starting tacrine, dosing usually starts at 10 mg four times a day. After four weeks, your healthcare provider may increase your dose up to 20 mg four times daily. If needed, he or she can increase your tacrine dosage up to a maximum of 40 mg four times a day.

 

Tacrine Dosage: An Introduction

The dose of tacrine hydrochloride (Cognex®) that your healthcare provider recommends will vary depending on a number of factors, including:
 
  • Whether you develop high liver enzymes due to tacrine
  • Other medications you may take
  • Other medical conditions you may have.
     
As is always the case, do not adjust your tacrine dose unless your healthcare provider specifically instructs you to do so.
 

Tacrine Dosing for Alzheimer's Disease

The starting tacrine dose for Alzheimer's treatment is 10 mg four times daily. After four weeks, your healthcare provider will typically increase the dose to 20 mg four times daily. If necessary, your healthcare provider may further increase your dose, up to a maximum of 40 mg four times daily.
 
Your healthcare provider should monitor your liver enzymes (using a simple blood test). For the first 16 weeks, he or she should check your liver enzymes at least once every two weeks. After 16 weeks, your liver enzymes should be checked at least once every three months. If you stop taking tacrine for more than four weeks, you must "start over" with the liver enzyme monitoring, going back to at least once every two weeks for 16 weeks.
 
If your liver enzymes increase to over twice the normal upper limit, you may need weekly liver enzyme checks, and your tacrine dose may need to be reduced. If you develop very high liver enzymes, your healthcare provider may recommend that you stop tacrine, either temporarily or permanently. If you ever develop symptoms (such as yellow eyes or skin) along with high liver enzymes, your healthcare provider should recommend that you stop tacrine permanently.
 
(Tacrine Dosing Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;