Bill: I take (took) Sinemet 25/100 CR, Selegiline, Requip and Celebrex. On
Requip and Celebrex for approximately the same amount of time - 12 to 15
months. Severe leg edema began 4 months ago in the midst of which I needed
arthoscopic surgery on both knees. Edema prevented the proper healing of both
operations (says my ortho) but I couldn't titrate down on the Requip because
the Ganglioside GM 1 study requires meds to remain constant for the first 6
months of the study and I wasn't aware that an infrequent but nonetheless
observable side effect of Celebrex was Edema. So I struggled (and hobbled)
along with the Edema, waiting for the 6 month anniversary (January 8, 2001)
of the clinical trial so I could titrate off the Requip and rid myself of the
accursed edema and presumably allow the proper healing of my knees. On
January 8th, for the first time, (it figures) I found out that it might be
the Celebrex rather than the Requip. The choices then were to immediately
stop the Celebrex and (I was told) see relief in two weeks if Celebrex were
the culprit, or titrate down on the Requip at the rate of 1 mg every two
days, which would take two and a half weeks since I was on 9 mg and then wait
perhaps two weeks for relief if Requip was the cause. The thought of guessing
wrong and having to wait the cumulative time 2 + 2 + 2 1/2 + 2 = 8 1/2 weeks
was too much for my knees, psyche and emotions to bear, especially since I
had been mentally priming for a shorter duration. So I threw scientific
inquiry to the wind and did both at the same time (drop Celebrex and titrate
down off Requip) fully understanding that unless the edema stopped long
enough before the end of the Requip titration, that I wouldn't know from
whence my benefit came. As Hanrahattys corollary to Murphy's law would have
it, the edema began to abate on my 2nd to last Requip mg, proving nothing. I
have now been off Celebrex for 18 days and took my last Requip yesterday. The
arthritis in my neck is a little worse post Celebrex but not nearly as bad as
was pre Celebrex and my tremor has not yet noticeably increased and I may
only be imagining that the stiffness in my tremor hand has increased. Perhaps
there's enough residual of either or both medications reaming in my system
for me not yet to feel particularly ill effects, or perhaps, at least with
regard to PD, I have come to understand that fine tuning the last tremor or
last bit of cramped handwriting is not as important as holding off meds (I
theory to which I subscribe which could set off a whole new thread on the
subject), a statement which I also realize is not particularly on the subject
to which I am most probably overreplying. I would be glad to post continued
progress of the edema abatement or lack thereof, either to list or privately,
whatever is the preference (assuming of course anybody is still interested or
awake after this dissertation).

Paul H. Lauer