Physicians prescribe the generically named medication rivastigmine, sold in the United States as Exelon, for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease symptoms. The Mayo Clinic states that Exelon cannot cure the disease, which primarily affects older people, but it can help reduce symptoms such as cloudy thinking in people with mild or moderate conditions. Exelon functions to reduce the speed at which acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter, breaks down. This helps keep more ACh active in the brain, which helps thinking improve.
Strength Loss
People taking Exelon for treatment of their Alzheimer's disease symptoms may feel a loss of strength when they take the medication. This general feeling of weakness classifies as a serious common side effect of the medication and requires medical attention, according to the Mayo Clinic, because it may mean the drug has an unusual effect on the person taking it.
Nausea
Exelon can induce problems in the digestive system that classify as serious side effects that are common. The person taking the medicine may get a sensation of indigestion, as if her food has not been properly used by the stomach. She also may experience stronger sensations, such as nausea in her stomach, that may cause her to vomit. These problems may result in another side effect of Exelon, which occurs as a loss of appetite. Combined, these problems may produce a loss of weight that was not intended. She should, the Mayo Clinic recommends, consult her doctor as soon as she can if she experiences these problems.
Tiredness and Dizziness
When the person begins taking Exelon, he may experience an overall feeling of abnormal tiredness as a side effect. He may feel tired although he has slept or rested with this medication. He also may experience an imbalance in his equilibrium because of misdirected nerve impulses in his head that give his brain a sense of improper orientation. He may feel dizzy because of this, and he may experience falls. Tiredness and dizziness, Drugs.com reports, do not constitute serious side effects, but they are common. In most people, they will not require medical aid unless they are severe or do not end.
Diarrhea and Sweating
Exelon also may disturb the person's digestive system, resulting in diarrhea and abdominal cramps. She also may sweat more than usual when she begins using Exelon, Drugs.com reports.
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