Galantamine

Dosage:
The dosage of galantamine hydrobromide shown to be effective in controlled clinical trials is 16 to 32 mg/day given as twice daily dosing. As the dose of 32 mg/day is less well tolerated than lower doses and does not provide increased effectiveness, the recommended dose range is 16 to 24 mg/day given in a BID regimen. The dose of 24 mg/day did not provide a statistically significant greater clinical benefit than 16 mg/day. It is possible, however, that a daily dose of 24 mg of galantamine might provide additional benefit for some patients.

The recommended starting dose of galantamine is 4 mg twice a day (8 mg/day). The dose should be increased to the initial maintenance dose of 8 mg twice a day (16 mg/day) after a minimum of 4 weeks. A further increase to 12 mg twice a day (24 mg/day) should be attempted after a minimum of 4 weeks at 8 mg twice a day (16 mg/day). Dose increases should be based upon assessment of clinical benefit and tolerability of the previous dose

Galantamine should be administered twice a day, preferably with morning and evening meals.

Patients and caregivers should be advised to ensure adequate fluid intake during treatment. If therapy has been interrupted for several days or longer, the patient should be restarted at the lowest dose and the dose escalated to the current dose.

The abrupt withdrawal of galantamine in those patients who had been receiving doses in the effective range was not associated with an increased frequency of adverse events in comparison with those continuing to receive the same doses of that drug. The beneficial effects of galantamine are lost, however, when the drug is discontinued.

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