On Wed 16 Oct, bernardo klainberg wrote:
> CONCLUSIONS ON MEDIC. FOR PD
>
> Dear Brian and all
>
> Being for 9 yrs on Eldepryl and vit. E only, and still not too bad, I've
> been watching your
>
> wonderful reports re; medicines prescribed.
>
> The conclusions to be drawn as I see , as per comments from this
> board, seem to be:
>
> No. 1- Amantadine not effective, old , no.2...Parlodel is quite
> dangerous, and
>
> 3)Sinemet has to be carefully doled out ..and experimented with .
>
> .so what I have to look forward to when the doctor convinces me to go onto
> ''something'' is a juggling of medicines, with lousy side effects , creating
> problems, and which will start being effective after 24 months or less ,etc.....
>
> .So, I intend not to start any of them until I am crawling on the floor,
>
> and I still can't understand all those early PWP taking problematic drugs
> when they only have
> occasional tremors or stiffness,,,it seems some dr's are pill pushers, )some)
>
> rgds bernard k.
============================================
Hey Bernado - I thought you had forgotten me. OK - I give in: I acknowledge
that you prefer the misery of PD symptoms, and probably cannot give up the
Eldepryl because of the amphetamine which is produced as it breaks down in the
brain.
You must realise that many people who have just been diagnosed have
responsibilites that require them to keep on working at their job, or they
may just want to carry on working because they like it. 30% of PWPs are under
40 when diagnosed, and to lose their jobs because, for instance, their hand-
writing has deteriorated can be devastating. They cannot afford the 'luxury'
of not taking anything.
Take my case: I wanted to carry on working when I was diagnosed at the age
of 40 and, not knowing any better, accepted the Artane that was prescribed as
being the best option. One year later, I was almost ready to accept that I
could not cope , and was introduced to levodopa. The effect was dramatic.
Most people, not knowing about PD, assumed that I had been cured, and I
carried on working for another 14 years. I regard the difficulties of living
with levodopa as a challenge to my ingenuity, and I even wrote a computer
program to help me understand what was going on. Up to now, I have managed
fairly well. You know about the man who fell off a sky-scraper building:
As he passed the second floor, he was heard to say " So far, I seem to be
coping quite well "
One thing I have not yet had to do is crawl on the floor
I don't understand your reference to drugs "which will start being effective
after 24 months or less"
Hold everything!! I think I have found a point that we agree on: I agree that
some doctors are much too eager to prescribe pills for everything, with out
really getting a full understanding of the problem.
I'll stop on that note of harmony and agreement.
Regards, Brian
--
Brian Collins <[log in to unmask]
