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L came into this discussion kinda late, so please 'scuze me if I repeat
something that's already been said about tremor.

I've had PD for 26 years, and by the summer of 1994, inner tremor on my right
side was driving me crazy (amongst other things!) <groaning at memory).

Not one to sit around in misery, I decided to see Dr. Robert Iacono, a well
known neurosurgeon, who is a movement disorder specialist, to see if I was a
likely candidate for Pallidotomy.

After a thorough neurological exam and a battery of questionnaires to
complete,  I decided to have Dr, Iacono  perform my surgery. This was in
August, 1994 and the waiting list for those wanting brain surgery seemed
endless!  In fact, there was something like 1800 people ahead of me!.
Meanwhile, the terrible summer heat added dramatically to my discomfort.  My
condition was becoming ever more uncomfortable, NO ... make that simply
UNBEARABLE

I asked Dr. Iacono if he could prescribe something to bring me some relief,
and he prescribed "PERIACTIN," which was once a by-prescrption antihistamine.
 Kinda an old-but-still-useful drug which had, over the years, become useful
for treating tremor in Parkinson'd treatment.

Following the instructions, I took one of the small pills, and son-of-a-gun,
the tremor in my right side stopped!  Unfortunately, so did !.... errrr....
STOPPED, that is! Yup,  I was SO groggy  I'd been  turned into a veritable
ZOMBIE from the Periactin.

Meanwhile, I received a phone call from Dr. Iacono's office - there had  been
a Pallidotomy cancellation and  I was offered the the Oct. 24th date for a
pallidotomy - HEY!          THAT* was in less than two months!!

I had the surgery and it was even more of a success than I'd expected.  I
feel
comfortable claiming that within a few minutes of the start of the surgery,
my right suddenly felt  normal, and it's continues to feel normal to this
very day - over 7 years post-surgery!

Which brings me to the point of my response to your questions about tremor.
About a year ago I began to experience VISIBLE tremors in my LEFT (primary)
side hand and arm, along with my tongue and also my jaw when I was at rest.
(DUH! THAT'S  why it's called a "resting tremor.")  .

Somewhere in my online wonderings I'd read that the over-the-counter
antihistamine, BENEDRYI, was good at stopping tremor.  I picked some 25 mg.
25 and 50 mgs) and found that I was rapidly relieved of the tremor without
any side affects.  I opted to take one capsule 3 times a day --- once with
each of my two daily doses of PD drugs, and one before I go to bed, about 2
a.m.

Results with the Benedryl has been excellent.   I get mine for $7.95 per
bottle of 100 at Kaiser Permanete.  Ya can't beat that price!

Barb Mallut
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