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At 09:24 AM 1/10/97 -0500, you wrote: >Hi everyone! >My Dad was diagnosed in June with Parkinson's. He has a few questions he would like me to ask. >#1 - He is taking Sinemet but he is not noticing a difference. They have changed his dosage twice but still there seems to be no difference. Any suggestions or thoughts? >#2 - He has a very stressful job and is trying to get any information at all regarding the affects of stress on Parkinson's. Does anyone have any info? > Hello Mya, welcome to the group. The effect of stress on PD symptoms is a very often discussed subject on this group and the connection is well proven. Most of us, even when fully dosed, will have all symptoms greatly increased when exposed to stressful situations. I see John Cottingham has already written in with a very informative letter and sound advice suggesting two possible reasons for your father failing to respond to Sinemet. I would only add that a third reason could be that the benefit from the Sinemet is being overcome by the stressful job. Add the stress of the job, to the stress of recently being diagnosed with PD, and it could be like taking aspirin for a headache whilst continuing to be beaten over the head with a hammer!! It may be that he eventually gets to a dosage which is effective, but that dose is likely to be much higher than if he was in a less stressful job. When I made my decision to take retirement 3 years ago, my neuro told me it was a wise decision because, to quote him, "You would only keep coming back to me for more drugs to keep you going". Mya, I am not advising that retirement is the only option for your father. Decisions about work after being diagnosed with PD are some of the hardest we have to face, but very few of us can continue to live and work at the same pace for very long after PD makes its unwelcome appearance. I wish your father luck. Please keep us informed of how he manages, the information we share on this group helps everybody. Ernie. 53/3. Ernie Peters <[log in to unmask]>