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Good Morning.

Far be for me  to take issue with you, Murr, as I am your biggest fan BUT ------------------one most always keep in mind that when dealing with meds it's "different stokes for different folks." And  "start low and go slow."

Speaking as a PWP - I had to be weaned off of Permax because I was constantly out-of-breath and wheezing. This improved significantly when I switched agonists.

Speaking as an R.N. -  I remember a tudy a few years back by a pharmaceutical company comparing the side-effect profile of their new neuroleptic against that of the older drugs. One of the older drugs used was Mellarill, a old psychiatric standby, supposedly one of the safest drugs. When in doubt, we always used Mellarill. Guess what they found out? Something totally unexpected. Good old Mellarill had serious csrdiac side-effects. S.S.R.I.'s like Prozac were initially marketed as having little to no side-effects. As we know now, not true.

What does this mean? EVERY medication will produce a significant side-effect in SOMEBODY. Shall we stop taking Meds? I have Parkinson's and Crohn's and take 7 different ones. One of the terms for beginning a new drug is "trial." You have to test the med-preferably at a moderate dose to start -on YOU (because we are all unique) and  then decide with your doctor if it is right one for you.

Don't be afraid of being your own advocate. If you cannot tolerate the S/Es of a particular med, say so loud and clear. On the other hand, don't be so afraid they don't take your medication and let the quality of your life suffer.

Now I will get off my soapbox. Before I wear out my welcome.

Carole Hercun

Murray Charters <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
On 10 Aug 2003 at 10:06, Roberta Innarella wrote:

I will be starting Permax (pergolide) soon and all of these postings are
making me nervous. I already have a cardiomyopathy. Exactly what is an ergot
derivitive? Roberta

-------------

Hi Roberta,

Permax is an old established drug, so it should be OK...

It might be a good idea to ask your dr. to order a baseline chest xray...

ergot derivitive?
The ergot comes from a mold on rye (the grain not the drink)

Ergot: A plant alkaloid produced by the fungus Claviceps purpurea.

Ergot-derived medication: A medication that has a chemical structure based on ergot, a plant alkaloid produced by a
fungus called Claviceps purpurea. Permax® and Parlodel® are examples of ergot-derived medications that may be used to
treat certain neurologic movement disorders.
http://www.wemove.org/glossary/

You can look up the drug on Medline...

Go to:
http://www.geocities.com/murraycharters/

click on Ref

click on MEDLINEplus - Drug Information

Type Permax in the Search box

Scroll way down to Drug Information

There are two pergolide hyper-links indicating two suppliers

Click on each one and read/print the page ...

Go back to the Ref page

click on On-Line Medical Dictionary

type ergot in the search box

or ... type ergot derivative in the search box

And the bottom line is...

Be sure to discuss your concerns with your attending professional

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