Print

---

Hi there,

I'm 66 years old. Two years ago I started to develop symptoms of
Parkinsonism, and a diagnosis of Parkinsonism was made by a
neurologist a year ago.

My main symptoms are:

--bodily weakness and difficulty moving, especially my left side,
especially getting up from a lying or even a seated position; I have
difficulty walking up stairs, and for example getting into and out of
a car;

--General slowness (bradykinesia);

--fatiguability and need for more sleep;

--difficulty keeping my balance--I have a tendency to start to fall backwards.

There are very few tremors, except for very brief periods when I'm
overtired or under stress. I also tend to twitch a little at such
times.


My neurologist prescribed Mirapex, a dopamine agonist. This was when
I first saw him a year ago. I haven't started taking it yet. I'm
quite conservative with respect to pharmaceuticals, especially ones
that haven't been around for a long time. (Too often new
pharmaceuticals turn out to be harmful.)

QUESTION 1): What does anyone here know about Mirapex, and what
experience does anyone here have with it? I'm interested mainly in
folks who are taking it by itself. (I browsed through the archive,
and didn't find a lot that is relevant.)

QUESTION 2): Are there alternative medications or treatments I should
consider. (I try to stay as active as possible, walking --for 1/2
hour on average-- often uphill), and doing hatha yoga about once a
week.)


I am also experiencing some generalized and chronic anxiety, which I
think must be due to not knowing what to expect as the disease
progresses.

QUESTION 3): What should I expect? What are the late stages like?

QUESTION 4): Can anyone offer tips or counsel or suggest resources
that will help me prepare psychologically for what I will encounter
down the road?

QUESTION 5) Can anyone offer tips or counsel or suggest resources
that will help me prepare in other ways for what I will encounter
down the road?

Thank you very much.

Diana M

----------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask]
In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn