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No, not eldepryl alone, but alone for two years and then, the last four, with requip, initially on the Smith-Kline study. For six years the disease progressed very slowly (at least so it appeared) but lately has been charging ahead (a rather useless rigihit ihiand - note the unedited typiing!) But if eldepryl is maintaing you, you migiht just save the rest for later. Bob Dolezal 62/6 At 6:03 PM 2/16/98, kbutton wrote: >Hi, > >I am a newcomer to your list. (Thank you, Barbara P. for the warm >welcome.) > >I have a question I would like to ask, but first I'll introduce myself. > >My name is Katharine, but everyone calls me Kitty, and I would be >pleased to have you do the same. I am sixty-nine years old, a fact >which I usually don't tell, but which, in this context, it seems >appropriate to be truthful about. I live with my wonderful husband, >Bill, in a condominium apartment that is much too small for two >creative, active people, but has such a glorious view of the Gulf of >Mexico, we can't imagine living anywhere else. > >Twenty years ago I watched my father, whom I adored, die of Parkinson's >Disease. > >In June of 1995 I was hospitalized with a severe triple pneumonia. The >day after I returned home, I remember reaching over to my bedside table >to get a sip of water, and I was so weak that my hand shook and I could >barely lift the glass. Well, eventually I got my strength back, and was >doing my usual two to three mile hike down the beach every day, but, you >guessed it, the tremor was here to stay. Sometimes it would be >marginally better, and sometimes worse, but apparently it was mine to >keep. > >Finally, a year and a half later, in December of 1996, I went to a >neurologist who confirmed my worst fear. It was the dreaded P.D. My >first thought was suicide. I couldn't bear the thought of being >incapacitated and dependent. I was really pretty crazy for a while. I >couldn't believe that this had happened to me. > >But, somehow, with great support and encouragement from Bill, I have >managed to change my tune. I realize that I am extremely fortunate >because so far I am not really incapacitated at all. I still have the >tremor and a sort of interior "jitter" in my right leg. But both of >these I can easily live with, and my neurologist tells me that it is a >very slow moving disease and I might not get substantially, or even any, >worse in the near future. He put me on Eldepryl, two bright turquoise >capsules per day. > >Which brings me, at last, to my question: Is there anyone out there who >has taken Eldepryl, and only Eldepryl, for two years, or three years, or >even longer, without a substantial worsening of symptoms or the need to >go on to Sinemet? > >I would be very grateful to hear from such a person. > >Please forgive me for writing so much. I didn't know how to make it >shorter. I feel very privileged to be a member of the list. I send >you all my greetings and best wishes and look forward eagerly to hearing >from some of you. > >Cheers, Kitty B.