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Ralph, You wrote: >Help requested for 62 year old lady with PD for 18 mos on only Eldepryl. >Initial one arm tremor spread to both arms and 1 leg; getting >progressively worse. Upsetting, embarrassing; depressing. Doesn't want to >start levodopa. > >Any helpful suggestions would be appreciated. Ralph > In reply to this bernardo klainberg wrote: > After 8 yrs with PD I am still taking only eldepryl,and 1M vit.e. >daily, AND frankly, I do not know if my slowly developing pd is due to that. >i do not intend to start on l-dopa till it really interferes with my >life,having heaard so many horror stories all these years, > many ,many times, i wonder if i shud stop even the eldepryl ? every >neurologist has a different opinion, >perhaps people on this board know better......... >don b. Ralph, The 62 year old lady you mention should not be frightened to take l-dopa because of "horror stories" (not my words) about this drug. There are several points to bear in mind, all covered very well by members of this group regularly. 1. L-dopa is the wonder drug which 30 years or so ago gave us Parkinson people a chance to continue our lives. Without it we would face a grim time of rapidly increasing incapacity. To continue to suffer because one is reluctant to start it does not make sense. 2. Eldepryl for most people works better WITH L-dopa. 3. Most of the latest scientific papers I have read agree that there is no advantage in delaying L-dopa treatment especially when it can transform the life of people with Parkinsons. 4. (And this is important) If the drug dosage is not sufficient to make up for the shortages of dopamine in the brain, ie, the patient is under treated, the condition CAN appear to be progressing rapidly. Add to this the depression and worry that this would cause and things can get really bad. The lady should consult her neurologist. I cannot see a neurologist being reluctant to withhold L-dopa under these circumstances. Frankly, if this proved to be the case, I would seek a 2nd opinion and tests by another neurologist. Best of Luck, and do let us know how she gets on. Ernie. Ernie Peters ([log in to unmask])