Hi:
    I have also to agree that levodopa is not the cure for PD. It is neither
considered therapy. It simply gives temporary symptomatic relief for a few
years and it also has its own problems such as inducing dyskenesia. The
literature is full of the causes of dyskenesia.
    For this  reason, I avoided sinemet when it was prescribed for me four
years ago. I took the controversial route of ayurvedic medicine and after
two years on ayurvedic medication, I am happy to say, I have not developed
distonia or dyskenesia and I am still enjoying reasonable level of postural
stability and have  virtually no bradykinesia. I am still able to walk 2km a
day. I am able to work in  my computer for 6-8 hrs / day, albeit with some
difficulty.
    I am not sure if I will recover completely from the symptoms of PD. But,
I do not believe that it is impossible, given the report a couple of months
ago , that in some studies people in placebo showed remarkable recovery,
comparable to the  people that were on the drug.
    Raj
*************
----- Original Message -----
From: w g <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, October 01, 2004 11:14 PM
Subject: levodopa: the standard against which all is judged???


> hi wendy,
>
> i am new to the list and haven't seen your previous
> posts - it is good to know i am not the only one
> disturbed by this.
>
> levodopa being held up as the standard against which
> other therapies (at least the brain surgery therapies)
> are judged is troubling to me because it means that if
> something almost measures up, but not quite, the study
> may be deemed a failure, the therapy may be dropped,
> and levodopa and dyskinesia remain the *best* therapy,
> rather than another option that *doesn't cause
> dyskinesia* being made available.
>
> does anyone know whether, in clinical trials,
> participant satisfaction is taken into account in the
> judging of the success/failure of the trial, and if
> so, to what degree?
>
> mackenzie
>
>
> --- Wendy Siegel <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> > That is the point I was trying to make. Thanks for
> > putting it so
> > clearly!
> >
> > Wendy
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> >  What I would like to know is, given that there is a
> > 30% chance of
> > developing dyskinesia after two years of levodopa
> > therapy, and a 50%
> > chance after five years of levodopa therapy, is
> > anyone else disturbed by
> > levodopa being held up as the "best" treatment for
> > PD, the treatment
> > that must be surpassed (by therapies requiring brain
> > surgery, at least)
> > in order for them to be considered successful?
> >
> > If you were given a choice between 5 years of
> > levodopa-level symptom
> > relief with a 50% chance of having developed
> > dyskinesias by the end of
> > that period, and 5 years and maybe more of somewhat
> > less than
> > levodopa-level symptom relief, with the risks of
> > brain surgery but
> > *without* the risk of dyskinesias, which would you
> > choose?
> >
> > free storage!
> >
> >
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>
>
>
>
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