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Thanks to all who replied and shared your experiences with CR.  I checked
my bottle, and it does say 25/100 CR.  It is half of that I was taking.
My neurologist thinks that wasn't enough, and suggests I need 3/4 or
alternating 1 and 1/2.  He thinks the day and a half trial wasn't
sufficient for me to know anything, especially since I was experimenting
with the dosage during that time.  Unfortunately, when I called his
answering service Sunday morning, the neurologist on call was not a
Parkinson's doctor and advised me to stop taking the CR.  I'd like to
find a convenient time to withdraw from the world to try this again, but
can't imagine when that will be.
 
My neurologist had his students research melatonin, since I was
interested in trying it for my insomnia, and he claims it's
contra-indicated for PD because it makes the symptoms worse.  No one
seems to have experienced that problem, however, and I'd sure like to try
something.  He's also one of the researchers on the DATATOP study and
isn't at all convinced eldepryl slows the diseas's progression for those
taking sinemet.  This contradicts most of what I read about it, though.
He had me stop taking it last year because it gave me insomnia and he
doesn't want me to take sleep medication.  I agree with his philosophy of
keeping meds to a minimum, but some of this is necessary and I find
myself wishing he weren't quite so conservative.
 
 
Since your response was so helpful, I'd like to bring up another
problem.  I'm a high school teacher and have been working for ten years
after diagnosis.  As you probably know, teaching is no picnic these days
for healthy people, and I'm experiencing enough problems that tell me
it's time to retire.  My doctor disagrees, however, and feels I can work
much longer.  Therefore, he won't help me apply for a disability
retirement and I'm not eligible for regular retirement for five more
years.  Like all of us, I'm concerned about the future, economically as
well as medically, and feel I can't afford to sacrifice my retirement
benefits by pulling out early.  What to do???
 
Pat Schark ([log in to unmask])