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Kathleen wrote: >She has been told that taking Selegiline may delay the >progression of PD. But what possible negative effects could >counteract this benefit? The medication makes her feel a little >"fuzzy" and down, so she would rather not take it at this point if >there are just as many health risks as benefits. I'm beginning to feel like a walking ad for Elderpryl (same thing as Selegiline). The first few days of taking this drug some folks feel an amphetamine effect, which can leave one very drained and tired. As with most drugs, it will take several days to overcome this feeling. It WILL go away. >Also, Selegiline is an amphetamine. Might some of its positive >effects be attributed to this? Some of the byproducts produce an amphetamine effect. It technically is not an amphetamine. >The drug insert said there were no food/drink restrictions, but > the printout from the pharmacy said that there may be adverse > affects caused by cheese and red wine consumption. Has anyone > any further information on this? Once again, the pharmacy is WRONG. You would be doing a lot of folks a big service by telling them this. The "cheese effect" is a warning applied to MAO type A inhibitors. Eldepryl is a Type B. Totally different. There is NO contraindication with cheese or wine or BBQ. The best advice is to pay attention to the insert. If you have any questions, call the drug company. They are more than willing to tell you, and mail you, lots of information concerning this or other drugs. Please note that I am NOT a doctor. I just get damn tired of the falsehoods being spread about this drug by doctors and pharmacies that have not taken the time to make certain their statements are correct. In the world of PD, it pays to know the drugs we take inside and out, for many doctors don't. One wrong drug, one bad bit of advice by those who are supposed to know, can mess you up completely. A friend of mine with PD just had surgery and had to explain to the doctors before they operated about the contraindications to the drugs she was taking. THEY DIDN'T KNOW! Someone else I know had a slight tremor and was given, by his doctor, 25/100 Sinemet 5 times per day. This fellow spent several months in bed, completely overdosed, until a nurse recognized the symptoms. The nurse had to actually argue with the doctor before he would re-evaluate the patient. Thankfully, the family had another doctor in, who took the guy off Sinemet. The patient is up, very active, and only on Eldeprly and Amantadine now. Just because someone has an "MD" behind the name is no reason to not question him/her. We are a very unique bunch, us PDer's, for we pretty much self prescribe our own medications. To do this, however, we need to know, so research all that you can. Buy your own PDR, study, read everything you can get your hands on. Until some miracle happens, PD is with us for the rest of our lives. No truer words can be said than, "Know your enemy." And eat beef.