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Dear Susan: Some time ago I read that in Alzheimers disease Parkinson's symptoms can be present. This led me to guess that mental problems in PD were possibly Alzheimers. I presented this to Dr. Caroline Tanner of The Parkinson's Institute in Sunnyvale, CA. She stated that Parkinson's symptoms are possible in Alzheimers. There is no way this would be confused with PD. This led me to believe that the PD symptoms happen well after Alzheimers has been diagnosed. Another posibility is mental confusion caused by Parkinson's medications. Some things to look for are: Eldepryl: hallucinations Sinemet: Confusion, hallucinations, irrational behavior, depression Parlodel/Permax: Anxiety, episodes of confusion, visual hallucinations, unusual suspiciousness of loved ones and friends Anticholinergics: Forgetfulness, mild confusion, visual illusion These are taken from Parkinson's Disease, A Guide for Patient and Family, 3rd edition, Roger C. Duvoisin, MD. As you can see, Parkinson's is more than a simple movement disorder. We are given mind altering drugs often without telling us the adverse effects. If these are some of the problems you are seeing in your father, they may be caused by the Parkinson drugs. The most common action is to reduce the drugs one at a time. Do realize that the reduction of drugs should be done slowly so as to avoid any withdrawal problems. Finally in difficult cases of mental problems where the Parkinson's drugs are the suspeck drugs, the drug Clozaril has shown some help. This drug is very expensive, requires weekly blood tests, etc. Again, consult your neuro on this posibility. Regards, Alan Bonander ([log in to unmask])