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Sherry,
About your Requip dosage, I'm quoting Dr. Paul Nausieda, Medical Director
of the Regional Parkinson Center, St. Joseph Hospital, Milwaukee, Wis..
In the Fall/Winter issue - 1999, of  "The Network" he writes -
"The therapeutic range of Mirapex is generally 1.5 to 6 mg per day, while
Requip is generally ineffective at doses below 10 mg per day and can be
raised to doses of 40 to 50 mg per day. ... Although low doses are
available to slowly raise the dose to the therapeutic levels, some
patients have been continued on these low doses chronically.  This is
expensive and generally of no clinical benefit."  You didn't say if you
also take Sinemet, but he also goes on to say  "In younger patients,
there has been a tendency to initiate treatment with Requip or Mirapex
because of the long duration of treatment one assumes will be necessary
and the belief that there agents may offer some potential benefits not
seen with L-DOPA.  Again, these are beliefs, not proven facts."
There is more to the article including side effects.   If you would like
a copy of the article, I'd be happy to send it.  Send me your  snail mail
address via my e-mail address.  I currently take 15 mg per day of Requip
along with Sinemet CR and that works for me.   Never gauge your
medications by what someone else takes.  And while Dr. Nausieda is very
good, these are HIS  findings on the subject and there are most likely
one or more doctors who might disagree.
As to what is normal - for me, normal is what it was like before I had
Parkinson's.  I was diagnosed in 1991 and a good part of my day is
normal.

Sharon H
52/44/40