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Ron Reiner wrote: > > Hi: > > I have a general question that I hope folks can shed some light on. My > understanding is that after about five years of Sinemet therapy, many PDers > begin showing serious side effects. You read about them all of the time > here. My question is whether these reactions are due to some accumulated > toxins in (i.e., damage from) the Sinemet. Or, are these side effects > simply due to the fact that after five years the degradation due to PD > itself make the Sinemet more volatile? > > Let me pose this question in different ways: > > 1. If I start taking sinemet 7 years after diagnosis, can I expect the side > effects to show up immediately or will it take another five years? Or will > it take two years? > > 2. If PDer A takes half the dose of PDer B, will PDer A take longer to show > the side effects? If one train leaving Chicago at 60 miles per hour and > another leaving Baltimore ................. > > 3. I (as well as a lot of other recent diagnosees ) am making every attempt > to delay starting Sinemet as long as possible. Am I deluding myself? > > Have there been any formal studies on this issue? > > Ron Reiner ([log in to unmask]) 48 + 7mos PD Hi Ron, I think the answer to your questions is that there is not agreement in the medical profession. It is controversial. There have been formal studies that do shed some light on the question. Animal studies have shown that sinemet causes free radicals thruout the brain. As a result of this information I would take antioxidents if I were on sinemet. There is also experimental evidence that sinemet contributes to a process of cell (neuron) death called apoptosis. Many would interpret these things to mean that although sinemet is a help in the short term, it is a cause of the progression of the disease. No one really knows why sinemet can become ineffective after 3-5yrs. My information comes primarily from the UPF newsetter and the NPF Newsletter. If you are interested I can supply you with more about source of information. ---Milo Milo V. Anderson, Ph.D. Box 417 Angwin, CA 94508 voice 707 965 2508 fax 707 965 3148 e-mail [log in to unmask]