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Sounds to me like you may need a new doctor. Everything you want, he doesn't want for you. I think doctors are great for giving advise and granted they are educated in these areas, but if you have been on this list very long you are pretty educated about you disease and alot of the issues that surround it. You are the one who has to make the decision and only you really knows whats right for you. Your doctor is not living with your condition. Nancy Walker [log in to unmask] >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]) > >