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Beverly.... I've been using the estrogen PATCH ( never have taken an oral ERT) for about 11 years. and have had PD for approximately 25 years. Originally I took a patch that needed to be refreshed twice a week, however, I've been using a change-once-a-week patch. While I can't say that I've noticed a lessening OR an enhancement of PD symptoms by during the first few days after a patch change,.I CAN say the each patch works for about 5 1/2 days, and then I get notice an "antsy-Parkinson-y" feeling which only goes away when I refresh the old patch.with a new one. The thing that comes into my mind in instances such as this, is what if someone took, say, a coupla Tylenol, or popped a few Tums, or even just used the same make-up, or soaps on a regular daily basis? I know there's such a thing as a "rebound headache", where folks who take drugs ( and it makes no difference whether they use an OTC drug or a prescription drug) for frequent headaches often experience kinda of a "carry-over" of that headache for days after the original dose of med has done the job. And the only way to stop getting that carry-over headache is to not take any drugs for it. Weird.... Barb Mallut [log in to unmask] THAT'S how habitual the human body is -----Original Message----- From: Beverly Forte <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> Date: Thursday, April 06, 2000 10:06 AM Subject: Re: NEWS: Slight rise in heart problems found in estrogen study >Severa; years agp I was on Premarin for a year or so and there seemed to be >an enhanced effect on my medications - my symptoms improved. Do you know of >any research or anectodal info on a relationship between symptoms, meds, and >hormone levels? > >Beverly > >-----Original Message----- >From: janet paterson <[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> >Date: Thursday, April 06, 2000 10:06 AM >Subject: NEWS: Slight rise in heart problems found in estrogen study > > >>Slight rise in heart problems found in estrogen study >> >>WASHINGTON (April 4, 2000 1:30 p.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - Older >women taking estrogen in one of the nation's largest medical studies were >slightly more likely to suffer heart attacks, strokes or blood clots during >their first two years of treatment compared with women who took a placebo, >according to preliminary findings. >> >>The findings are preliminary and the risk was very small - in fact, it >seems to go away after the first two years of hormone use. >> >>But the preliminary findings add to growing questions about estrogen's >effect on the heart. Two other recent studies found no evidence estrogen >helped the hearts of postmenopausal women who already have heart disease. >> >>Yet the hope behind estrogen was not that it could help existing heart >disease but that it could prevent or delay it, something the Women's Health >Initiative is studying. >> >>And experts stressed Tuesday that it is too early to change how women and >their doctors decide who should try estrogen - already a complex decision. >> >>An estimated 16 million postmenopausal women already take hormone >replacement therapy, either estrogen alone or combined with progestin. >Hormone replacement can reduce menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes and >vaginal dryness and can reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Some previous >studies suggested it reduced the risk of heart disease, and it is being >studied as possible protection against Alzheimer's disease. But it also can >increase the risk of breast cancer. >> >>"We don't know how this is going to play out," cautioned Elizabeth Ross of >the American Heart Association. "I don't think there's anything here to make >us change our clinical practice. ... It's a patient-to-patient decision." >> >>The initiative is a huge, federally sponsored study of women's health >issues, and 27,000 women are participating in the hormone-therapy portion. >Those women all were mailed letters Friday notifying them of the preliminary >findings. >> >>Only a little more than 1 percent of the 27,000 participants have suffered >either a heart attack, stroke or blood clot regardless of whether they were >given hormones or a placebo, said the initiative's acting director, Jacques >E. Rossouw. >> >>But the frequency of these health problems was slightly higher in >hormone-treated women than placebo-treated women, Rossouw said, although he >refused to provide actual figures. >> >>The initial increased risk "seems to go away" after the first two years of >hormone treatment, Rossouw said. But he cautioned that the study isn't >slated to end until 2005, so results could change. >> >>Another recent study of estrogen in heart-disease patients also found the >first two years of treatment posed a heart attack risk that decreased with >longer hormone use. >> >>Although estrogen has long been known to cause blood clots, "these findings >for heart attacks and strokes were not expected ... when you first jointed >this landmark study," say letters to the participants. >> >>However, independent safety monitors concluded the study should continue, >and the letters urged women not to withdraw. >> >>"We really owe it to the public out there to continue so we have definitive >answers," Rossouw said. >> >> >>Copyright 2000 Nando Media >>Copyright 2000 Associated Press >><http://www.nandotimes.com/noframes/story/0,2107,500188877-50025 3744-501291 >186-0,00.html> >> >>janet paterson >>53 now / 41 dx / 37 onset >>a new voice: http://www.geocities.com/janet313/ >>613 256 8340 PO Box 171 Almonte Ontario Canada K0A 1A0 >>