>On 6 OCT 96 Will A Kulpers writes
> <Anyhow, maybe because of the CR I never experienced "on" or "off" conditions.
> <
> <but it makes me sometimes wonder why I take these meds.
> <I have no problems walking, but my voice is affected.
> <
> <I wonder if there are more people with no clear on or off symptons,
either due
> <to the meds
> <or due to the fact that their PD has not progressed very far.
>
>Hi Will,
>
>Sorry to be so late in answering.
>Add me to your list right away.
>I am 68 and PD was diagnosed 9 years ago. Initially, my speech and
handwriting,
>coupled with a tendency of my eyes to close, were the main problems. More
>recently I have been experiencing problems with my balance and also with my
>walking. And never a twitch nor a feeling of normality and well-being to show
>for it!
>Like you I sometimes wondered why I took the Sinemet but now know when a
>dose is due. Instead of feeling "off" I realise that I am quite unable to open
>my
>eyes to see this wretched video screen. So I suppose that that is how I
register
>being "off". If I do manage to open my eyes and if I get up then I shall
>probably
>lose my balance and fall over more readily. It wasn't so easy recognising the
>"off" signals in the early days. But they were there all right. A pronounced
>tingling sensation in my left forearm was most useful in finding the minimum
>dose
>of Sinemet.
>
>Does anybody else have "off" and "on" recognition problems?
>
>JACK TIBBS [log in to unmask]
Dear Jack:
I wondered, and sometimes stil do if I can recognize "on" and "off"
signals, especially the latter. If I am involved in a frequent, repetitive
activity and find my concentration and cognition beginning to fail I can be
pretty certain that over approximately next 20-60 min, these symptoms will
get worse. At least as prominent are dyskinasias: stumbling, failure of the
normal movement coordination; crawling to protect me from falling: looking
for the nearest couch; increased saluring; bradykinasias.
Since my primary goal is to find safety, and I become sleepy, I
don't know what a spontaneous recovery mode is, but that the symptoms of
"off" reverse very slowly. The most prominent signs are recovery of walking,
improved cognition and judgement making. These may be very slow (2-8 hours).
It is hardly possible to recognize an effect clearly attributable to
Sinemet-pergolide. An intermediate response frequently is somnolence which
is not clearly part of "on" or off", but may represent the physical
exhaustion of "off" or a protective recovery of metabolism.
Well, its kind of fun speculaing about what is happenming to you,
even though you can't do much about it.
Best regards, STEVEN Mayer (b.29;dx91)
[log in to unmask]>
Steven E. Mayer, Ph.D.
