• black, bloody, or tarry stools;

• coughing up blood or vomit that looks like blood or coffee grounds;

• painful or difficult urination;

• seizure (black-out or convulsions);

Less serious side effects may include:

• nausea, vomiting, diarrhea;

• loss of appetite;

• muscle cramps;

• tired feeling; or

• sleep problems (insomnia).

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Tell your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect.

What other drugs will affect donepezil?

Before taking donepezil, tell your doctor if you are taking any of the following medicines:

• atropine (Donnatal, and others);

• belladonna;

• carbamazepine (Tegretol);

• clidinium (Quarzan);

• dexamethasone (Decadron);

• dicyclomine (Bentyl);

• glycopyrrolate (Robinul);

• hyoscyamine (Anaspaz, Cystospaz, Levsin, and others);

• mepenzolate (Cantil);

• methantheline (Provocholine);

• methscopolamine (Pamine), scopolamine (Transderm-Scop);

• phenobarbital (Luminal, Solfoton);

• phenytoin (Dilantin);

• propantheline (Pro-Banthine);

• quinidine (Cardioquin, Quinidex, Quinaglute, others);

• rifampin (Rifadin, Rifamate, Rifater);

• a fungal antibiotic such as ketoconazole (Nizoral), fluconazole (Diflucan), or itraconazole (Sporanox); or

• aspirin or other NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), diclofenac (Voltaren), diflunisal (Dolobid), etodolac (Lodine), flurbiprofen (Ansaid), indomethacin (Indocin), ketoprofen (Orudis), ketorolac (Toradol), mefenamic acid (Ponstel), meloxicam (Mobic), nabumetone (Relafen), piroxicam (Feldene), and others.

This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with donepezil. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.

Where can I get more information?

Your pharmacist can provide more information about donepezil.

Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.