People's Pharmacy

Aricept

Generic Name:donepezil

Revised:4/1/2000

Table of Contents

Side Effects and Interactions

Aricept can cause a number of side effects, including nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and loss of appetite.

Its effect on acetylcholine is expected to increase the secretion of stomach acid. This may place patients at risk of an ulcer.

People who also take arthritis pain relievers (NSAIDs) should be followed closely for signs of ulcer.

Other possible reactions include headache, muscle cramps, pain, insomnia, dizziness, fatigue, and depression.

Slower heart rate, increased stomach acid, breathing difficulties, and convulsions could cause special problems in people with pre-existing conditions such as heart disease, ulcers, asthma or epilepsy.

Report any symptoms to the physician promptly.

Any gastrointestinal side effects should be treated cautiously, as some common stomach medicines, such as Pro-Banthine, are likely to interact with Aricept.

Nizoral and quinidine slow Aricept elimination and increase the amount of the drug circulating in the body.

Grapefruit may be expected to affect the same enzyme (CYP 3A4), so it would be prudent to avoid grapefruit and grapefruit juice while on Aricept until studies show whether there is an interaction.

Because Aricept is still a fairly new drug, there may be other interactions that have not yet been identified.

Ask your doctor and pharmacist to check whether any other drug that must be taken is safe in combination with Aricept.