I have been taking Ropinirole for about four years, as part of the test
period for the drug, and have had marvelous success.  Diagnosed at 57, now
62, I still have a ways to go before I max out on the drug.  And, I've not
had insomnia or
nausea - in fact, I sleep better and eat more (not entirely a benefit,
either, except to the candy industry!).  My only regret is that Ropinirole,
too, will eventually become ineffective.  But, of course, eventually we're
all dead.


At 7:58 PM 8/26/97, Judith Richards wrote:
>Parkinson's drug approved -
>By Natalie Armstrong
>TORONTO (CP)  A drug recently approved for use in Canada could offer a
>longer, normal life to those who suffer from Parkinson's disease, its makers
>say.
>Ropinirole hydrochloride, marketed under the name ReQuip, is said to relieve
>Parkinson's symptoms such as uncontrollable movements without the side
>effects of the standard drug levodopa, or L-dopa.
>The drug will allow patients to live "normal lives, longer," said Roger
>White, medical director for SmithKline Beecham Inc., which developed the drug.
>Although the new drug was announced Tuesday, doctors not related to the
>study were unable to comment.
>It's backers say ReQuip solves problems patients faced on L-dopa since it
>was approved in the 1970s.
>"We've developed new theories in Parkinson's disease to try to change the
>treatment approach and delay the onset of these troublesome side effects,"
>said Dr. Janis Miyasaki, a Toronto neurologist.
>ReQuip is most beneficial to people who are diagnosed with the disease
>early. But those who are in the mature stage of the disease can lessen the
>dosage of L-dopa by taking ReQuip, Miyasaki said.
>L-dopa could treat disease symptoms like tremors, slowness in movement, and
>rigidity, but the side effects were devastating to the quality of life of
>Parkinson's sufferers.
>"The drawbacks of levodopa occur within two to five years of initiating
>treatment," said Miyasaki. "That period is called the honeymoom period where
>people have an excellent response to treatment."
>As the benefit of L-dopa wears off, which can be sudden or gradual, the
>patient develops "abnormal involuntary movements," she said.
>"These movements may be fixed postures, so that makes it difficult for them
>to use their hands or even walk," Miyasaki said, adding that they can be
>more troublesome than the actual symptoms of the disease itself.
>"A new treatment approach is to delay the onset of use of levodopa," she
>said. "There is evidence in animal studies that exposure to levodopa may
>prime the brain to develop these side effects."
>Living without side effects is important to 46-year-old Ian Patterson, who was
>diagnosed with Parkinson's disease when he was 37.
>After taking L-dopa for the first five years of his illness, side effects
>started.
>"I'm probably moving now, but I don't really realize it," he said.
>Patterson, a father of two, likes to attend his 12-year-old son's hockey
>games.
>"I can't sit in the front rows, because I draw attention to myself,"
>Patterson said. "At the arena, most of the parents ... think these
>involuntary movements are part of the disease. It's really the side effects
>of the levodopa."
>The known side effects of ReQuip are nausea and insomnia, which L-dopa also
>shares.
>The cause of Parkinson's disease is unknown, and there is no known cure.
>There are 100,000 Canadians with Parkinson's disease, most are over 60 years
>old.
>Although the disease is known to attack the older population, about 10 per
>cent develop the disorder before age 40.
>The drug has been approved in the Britain, France, Germany, and Denmark.
>CP 1745ES 26-08-97