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In a message dated 12/30/97 6:22:42 AM, you wrote: <<Wesley, >I had A PALLIDOTOMY last summer that alleviated the intensity of my >dyskinesias, but have had to use the drug holidays to alleviate what feel like >allergic responses to the medication. Please explain what you mean by "allergic responses" >> Dear Joy, This gets into the subjective interpretation area. I would like to answer with the following excerpt from Brian Collins in mind. >> It appears to me that people who say that they do benefit are those who are taking what I regard as an overdose of levodopa. It is possible for some PWPs to take an overdose first thing in the morning (They often talk about the 'tablets cutting in' as they go zooming through the ideal dose on the way to the overdose). By the occasional tablet administered at the right time, it is possible to stay in this overdosed state most of the day. However, 'What goes up must eventually come down', and this is where the trouble starts: the dyskinesias have to be faced, and seem to occur as the PWP comes back down through the various levels to essentially an un-dosed condition. The stresses involved in this nightly wind-down must be considerable, and the concept of a drugs holiday more attractive. Also, having purged this possible overdosed condition, the rigours of an advanced Parkinsons condition with no medication is to me totally unacceptable. About three months ago, I sufferred a 'shut-down' of my digestive systemsuch that for two days I could get no result from the tablets, because they were not reaching the lower intestine, and hence not getting into the bloodstream. There is no way that I woould voluntarily decide to go through those days again. >> The differences between an allergic response and the effect of a prolonged overdose seem small. Upset atomach, queasy feelings generally, loss of appetite, irregular medication response, etc. Iwould say that I have been consistently overdosed for years, been told so, tried to cut down but found that the results of any cutback robbed me of valuable free time during the day and did not significantly ameliorate my evening dyskinesia. Brian, your suhhestion of the need for multiple release rates is an important insight and could no doubt m have