Posted by Rex on May 30, 2003, at 17:26:12
In a somewhat unorthodox move, my pdoc agreed to a trial of Aricept to see if it can help alleviate some of the cognitive dysfunction (primarily memory lapses) presumably caused by the Klonopin that helps my anxiety so much. Theoretically, a cholinergic med shouldn't help out here, but we're giving it a try, especially since he's seen some subtle anti-anxiety effects from Aricept in the two other patients he has on it.
But here's what's weird: I'm either unconfirmed diabetic (only one blood test -- four years ago -- was in the diabetic range) or at least glucose impaired. So I don't take any diabetes meds.
Well, within days of starting Aricept, my blood sugar started plummeting, from its usual normal-to-"low impaired" range to a consitent low normal. This is both fasting and postparandial (after eating), and I'm talking a typical drop of 30 mg/dl from baseline, which is better than I would expect were I taking, say metformin (a diabetes drug - insulin sensitizer). E.g. fasting glucose dropped from a typical 100 mg/dl to about 70 mg/dl.
And *nowhere* can I find anything relating Aricept to lowered blood sugar, let alone *greatly* lowered blood sugar. It's not even listed among the "rare, no causality proven" side effects in the monograph. And I can't find anything in Medline or on the newsgroups.
Just to make sure the change was driven by the Aricept, we stopped it and after a week things returned to normal. Then I started again, and -- same response all over again, blood sugar plummets to low-normal all the time. There are no discernible physical efects asocated with the drop, by the way.
Well, I've stopped the Aricept because I don't know the mechanism of the drop; if its somehow stimulating excessive insulin release, that's the last thing I would want (hyperinsulinemia). But, on the other hand, perhaps it's somehow markedly alleviating insulin resistance, which would make it a wonder drug (at least for me) -- even if there were no memory or anxiolytic effects.
It's hardly worth asking if any P-B readers have seen a similar effect, since I know the chances of that are quite low -- especially as this isn't likely a med commonly-used by P-B readers (even though pdocs ARE starting to try it for things like anxiety and ADD).
But I would welcome 1) Any theories as to what might be happening 2) Any advice on how to make this not-necessarily-adverse (possibly just the opposite) effect better known, besides what I'm doing by posting to P-B.
Incidentally, I see *hyper*-glycemia listed as a possible rare side effect of a related Alzheimer's med, Reminyl.
Thanks,
Rex
poster:Rex
thread:230302
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030530/msgs/230302.html