Tacrine (Oral)

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on May 7, 2022.

Pharmacologic Class: Cholinesterase Inhibitor, Centrally Acting

Uses for tacrine

Tacrine is used to treat the symptoms of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Tacrine will not cure Alzheimer's disease, and it will not stop the disease from getting worse. However, tacrine can improve thinking ability in some patients with Alzheimer's disease.

In Alzheimer's disease, many chemical changes take place in the brain. One of the earliest and biggest changes is that there is less of a chemical messenger called acetylcholine (ACh). ACh helps the brain to work properly. Tacrine slows the breakdown of ACh, so it can build up and have a greater effect. However, as Alzheimer's disease gets worse, there will be less and less ACh, so tacrine may not work as well.

Tacrine may cause liver problems. While taking tacrine, you must have blood tests regularly to see if the medicine is affecting your liver.

Tacrine was available only with your doctor's prescription. Tacrine (Cognex®) was withdrawn from the US market in May 2012.

Before using tacrine

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For tacrine, the following should be considered:

Allergies

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to tacrine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric

Studies on tacrine have been done only in adult patients, and there is no specific information comparing use of tacrine in children with use in other age groups.

Geriatric

Studies on tacrine have been done only in middle-aged and older patients. Information on the effects of tacrine is based on these patients.

Breastfeeding

There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding.

Interactions with medicines

Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking tacrine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using tacrine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.

• Viloxazine

Using tacrine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

• Amifampridine
• Bupropion
• Capmatinib
• Donepezil
• Givosiran
• Pacritinib
• Pixantrone

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