Donepezil side effects

Donepezil, a piperidine-based, reversible and specific cholinesterase inhibitor, has shown some benefit in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. However, donezepil side effects are possible. Additional medications used for Alzheimer's disease include donepezil, galantamine, and rivastigmine.

Donepezil-related toxic hepatitis
Acta Clin Belg. 2008 Sep-Oct; Dierckx RI, Vandewoude MF. Dierckx RI, Vandewoude MF. Department of Cardiology, University of Antwerp, Belgium.
To date, clinical trials have not reported an association between treatment with donepezil and hepatotoxicity. We describe a case of toxic hepatitis, documented by liver biopsy, in a patient treated with donepezil.

Donepezil not effective for mild cognitive impairment
Donepezil treatment of patients with MCI. A 48-week randomized, placebo-controlled trial.
Neurology. 2009 Feb 11. From the Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders Center (R.S.D.), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX; Alzheimer's Disease Center (S.H.F.), Silberstein Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, and Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY; Memory and Aging Program (S.S.), Butler Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI; Eisai Inc. (Y.S., A.K.M.), Woodcliff Lake, NJ; Pfizer Inc. (R.G., Y.X.), New York, NY; and PAREXEL (W.E.W.), Stamford, CT.
In this multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, subjects with mild cognitive impairment entered a 3-week placebo run-in period followed by 48 weeks of double-blind donepezil (5 mg/day for 6 weeks, then 10 mg/day for 42 weeks) or placebo treatment. Most measures of global impairment, cognition, and function were not improved with donepezil treatment.