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Wesley Balk writes: >I have taken a number of unsupervised drug holidays (reporting them to my >Dr,)except >I did so because of my sense of a residue of sinemet in my system which needed >a chance to be c;eaned out. This was reinforced by the fact that my evening >withdrawal dyskinesia's got longer and longer (which told me that the residue, >while not dtrong enough to do the job kept the body in action, having been >cut-off from it's daily supply, stillhad access to enough that it could >protest via dyskinesia, which increased in length as the residue accumulated. >The set-in timn e in the morning also increased, but I don't as neat an >anthropomorphc interpretation for that except that perhaps the body having a >residue already, wants proportionately more before it will respond. > >In any case, the holidays have always been a joy: there was wnough residue in >my system to gice me freedom from discomfort until very early the nect morning >when residueless, the need for medicstion got intense. But on those days I >could eat anything I pleased, the medicatin-inhibiting effects of protein not >being an issue, and would begin with steak and eggs, and would include at >least one extra meal during the day. My mobility was limited, but the more >nstural feeling and unrestrictrf Wesley, it is true that this sort of drug withdrawal can be of use. If you read Dr Dwight McGoon's book (The Parkinson's Handbook, WW Norton & Co. ISBN 0-393-02880-1) which I happen to think is a wonderful book, he talks about taking a daily drug holiday. This made sense for him, for his situation at the time. Like you, he had a good set of reasons why he did it. However, drug holidays taken to "cure" hallucinations are quite another matter all together and, especially if the PWP is in an advanced stage of PD, then they can not only be cruel but dangerous too. In fact many text books will tell you that drug holidays (and I think they mean longer term drug holidays) are not done anymore because there is so much risk attached. On a related topic: There are many theories about putting PD medications into the system. One school believes that a constant supply of levodopa such as you get in the slow release (Sinemet CR or Madopar HBS) is more beneficial in the long run than the stops and starts of regular dosing. Many neurologists won't use the CR because you actually need MORE of it to get the same response; many mix and match the two; some recommend it only at night (and it is good if people are having trouble turning over in bed) BUT if you are prone to dyskinesias, then is it worth getting the good coverage at the risk of more dyskinesias? Each individual has to work all this out for themselves, because everyone is different. Hey, shush Joy - you are going on a bit! Sorry...