 |
 |
STEPHAN, That was my impression also but it still doesn't answer the question of disabling dyskinesias and the possible delay of their onset by holding back on levodopa treatment, Charlie Aaron Schwartz wrote: > > Dennis Greene wrote: > > > >Brian, I would like to add my voice to Charlie's, particularily as every > > neurologist I speak with belongs to the "start levodopa as late as > > possible"<< > > Dennis, Brian, Charlie, et als: > I have previously posted during this "Sinemet timing" debate on the side of > Brian's position. The neurologists with whom I consult (3 movement disorder > specialists) including Dr. Matthew Stern, M.D., the head of the Movement > Disorders Clinic, formerly at the Graduate Hospital of Penna., all advise their > Parkinson's patients to start levodopa therapy as soon as possible, after > diagnosis, with Sinemet or Sinemet CR. > About 50% of the newly diagnosed patients at first resist levodopa therapy > (me included). They are under the mistaken impression (in my case gleaned from > the several patient authored books and pamphlets I read) that the effective > therapeutic life of levodopa is 5 to 10 years. The clinical evidence is to the > contrary. > Dr. Stern reported that the statistics are that about 10% of the patients > he sees do reach their maximum therapeutic benefit from levodopa after 5 years, > for reasons yet unknown. However, the overwhelming majority of PD patients > continue receiving a therapeutic benefit from levodopa until they die. > Stephan 53/7 -- CHARLES T. MEYER, M.D. Middleton, WI [log in to unmask]