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Dear friends-- several have asked for reports on Peter's experiences with Aricept (the new drug for AD that is also being used occasionally for PWPs with memory problems.) He started on the initial dose of 5mg at bedtime on June 6th. Today we rec'd the requested "package insert" from our mail/Rx firm, and I will share some of the points which may be of interest. We noticed the past few days that Peter is having more problems getting back to sleep after his 3 AM dose of Sinemet. He also has had a change of appetite (for the worse) recently. These are both "adverse effects" which MAY be related to Aricept, although the"Most Frequent Adverse Effects which May Lead to Discontinuation" are said to be nausea,diarrhea,& vomiting, none of which he has had. The insert states that side effects may be affected by "the rate of titration" of dose, when increased more rapidly from 5 mg to 10mg. I noted in several ofthe posts on the list re: PWPs using Aricept had a a 6 wk trial at 5mg before possibly raising it to 10, and that corre- sponds with this info. Aricept, it says, should be taken in the evening, & may be taken with or without food. There are, of course, many other possible ill effects listed, but most were "observed at the same frequency in placebo- treated patients in the controlled studies", so were not necessarily Aricept-re lated. Peter really doesn't NEED any more of certain possible side effects, such as somnolence, frequent urination, or depression....but if the stuff helps with cognitive functioning, it will be worth it! That's his biggest worry.... I think that there was one of the list responses re: Aricept that told of a bad experience, butcan't find my copy.Could that person send it to me again,as I think I have all the other(good)ones, and wouldn't need really to check the archives. Thanks, if you can. Camilla Flintermann, CG for Peter, 78/7, Oxford,Ohio [log in to unmask] * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "Ask me about the CARE list for PD caregivers!" * * * * * * * * * * * * * *