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hi all At 19:03 2000/12/25 -0800, murray wrote, in part: >American Academy of Neurology... >Selegiline drug does not increase Parkinson's death rate... >ST. PAUL, MN – Researchers have debated for years whether the drug >selegiline increases the risk of death for Parkinson's patients even >though others have suggested that the drug may slow the progression >of the disease. A new study shows that there is no increased death rate >for patients who use the drug in combination with levodopa, the most >common drug for Parkinson's. The study is published in the December >26 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy >of Neurology.... >"This is exciting news because this drug is the first that showed even >the possibility of slowing the course of this disease, not just treating >its symptoms," said neurologist William Langston, MD, of The Parkinson's >Institute in Sunnyvale, Calif., who co-authored an accompanying >editorial on the study. "But when a study came out several years ago >reporting that it raised the death rate, near-panic ensued. Even though >there were criticisms of that study and other studies failed to confirm >the original results, there was a chilling effect on the use of selegiline. >This study should dispel any remaining doubts." ... i well remember the 'increased death rate' study and the ensuing arguments the methodology of the study seemed to be so flawed that i made my own decision not to worry about it then and whenever the subject has come up since i started on both selegiline and sinemet in october 1988 at diagnosis and haven't stopped or regretted either since twelve years since diagnosis and fifteen or sixteen years since first symptoms appeared i can still manage to function almost symptom free for a majority of my time [hormone hell days excluded!] i know we are all different etc etc and i have no way of 'proving' selegiline has helped me etc. etc. but Happy Boxing Day, Dr. Langston !!! janet janet paterson, an akinetic rigid subtype parkie 53 now /44 dx cd / 43 onset cd /41 dx pd / 37 onset pd TEL: 613 256 8340 SMAIL: POBox 171 Almonte Ontario K0A 1A0 Canada EMAIL: [log in to unmask] URL: http://www.geocities.com/janet313/