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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by shellie on June 21, 2000, at 21:59:00
Just wondering if anyone's tried aricept as a booster. My last pdoc recommended it for me, but I couldn't find any information about it. I did try it and can't remember why I stopped--whether I was getting a bad side effect. And then I changed doctors. Anyway, just curious, I've never heard of it mentioned on the board. shellie
Posted by SLS on June 27, 2000, at 7:42:37
In reply to aricept, posted by shellie on June 21, 2000, at 21:59:00
> Just wondering if anyone's tried aricept as a booster. My last pdoc recommended it for me, but I couldn't find any information about it. I did try it and can't remember why I stopped--whether I was getting a bad side effect. And then I changed doctors. Anyway, just curious, I've never heard of it mentioned on the board. shellie
Hi Shellie.Aricept (donepizil) is a drug used to treat Alzheimer's Dementia. A friend of mine who suffers from bipolar depression has been taking it for a number of years. She is only partially responsive to antidepressant treatment, and still experiences the impairments of memory and cognition that are features of her depression. She takes Aricept to help minimize these impairments, not to potentiate the antidepressants. It does seem to help with memory, but doesn't really exert an antidepressant effect for her. She hasn't complained to me about side effects.
Aricept is a acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. It is sort of like an MAO inhibitor for acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter very important for memory. It helps to increase the levels of this neurotransmitter, which is deficient in Alzheimer's Disease. From what I have managed to gather on Medline, I don't see that Aricept helps alleviate the depression that often accompanies Alzheimer's. One possible side effect of drugs in this class is depression, although I don't think this happens that frequently. I don't think you should let this prevent you from trying it, but I thought I should make you aware of it.
If you are looking for something to help improve memory and cognition without necessarily helping with depression, Aricept is worth trying.
I hope this is helpful.
- Scott
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