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To: Barbara L., Requip is a family of drugs called dopamine agonists. Agonists can exacerbate mood disorders and also cause daytime drowsiness. This is not uncommon when the patient first starts taking the drug. I've been on Permax, Mirapex and am now on Requip. Permax was the worst. Mirapex tended to make me anxious. When I first started taking Requip it was like a sleeping pill. I would go out like a light. It took me almost 6 months to adjust even though I am on a very low dose. These are powerful drugs and our tolerance levels vary widely. An under publicized side effect of Requip is irregular heartbeat. When your husband is feeling fatigued, check his pulse to see if it has a normal rhythm. In other words check that it isn't stopping and skipping a beat. Does he get dizzy when he stands up? Low blood pressure is a side effect of many of the PD meds including Sinemet. However, fatigue is a common complaint with PD. Try to determine when he is most fatigued during the medication cycle. Is it at peak dose, midway through his med cycle or at end dose just before his next dose. If it is at end dose an adjustment by your physician may be warranted. How is he sleeping? Is he refreshed in the morning? Does he have vivid dreams? Does he have trouble getting comfortable? All this needs to be discussed with your physician once again to see if a medication adjustment is warranted. As posted by another list member, Provigil can also be helpful. I take it periodically, but have found that over a period of days it eventually causes me sleep problems even though it is not a stimulant. You should also be aware that there can be a serotonin deficiency in PD. This is the mood enhancing neurotransmitter. A deficiency can be associated with depression. Besides feeling blue, a patient may simply be losing interest in things that he normally enjoyed. But a PD patient can usually give you a good assessment of how they feel. Make sure you get a professional assessment preferably by a psychiatrist that specializes in PD. This can be a tricky diagnosis in the presence of PD and medication side effects. Neurologist can sometimes be quick on the trigger with this diagnosis. I was told by a neurologist that I was depressed, but by a phychiatrist that knew me very well that I wasn't. I'm 55. I assume that since he was started on Sinemet shortly after diagnosis that he is older. Hopefully, my experiences will still be helpful to him. Phil Gesotti ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn