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=85 I had planned for this to be one of those "write it to get it out of= my=0Asystem then don't send it " things. I am still more than a little = reluctant,=0Ahowever, because I found the experience greatly embarrassing= as well as=0Aphysically and emotionally painful. Because of the recent spate of e-postings showing interest in "drug=0Ahol= idays,"(DH) I was surprised that no one seemed to have much of an opinion= =0Aon these things. I do not know that this should encourage anyone to d= o one of=0Athese. As you might have guessed, I have an opinion. My exper= ience=85 The drug holiday: I understand that these are no big deal for certain folks whose PD varies= from=0Amine. However, Drug holidays are the absolute pits for many PWP: Mine came as part of an evaluation for retirement--after three years of= =0ASinemet therapy. The hospital staff rarely laid hands on me after the admitting physical e= xam.=0AThe first day things weren't too bad. After that, I was hurting--= a lot.=0ASeeing only bradykinesia, the staff had no idea how rigid (and p= ainful) my=0Aentire left side and especially my left leg was becoming. When I finally called a halt to this craziness at the end of 5 days, the = staff=0Asomehow determined that I was being a sissy. It took my first Sinemet dose about thirty minutes to work. The other=0A= patients and I then witnessed an "awakening" as dramatic as if Jesus Chr= ist,=0Ahimself had healed me. I felt great. However, my comfort, my ela= tion and my=0Adose lasted about two hours. Then I was back in my own pri= vate world of pain=0Auntil thirty minutes after my next dose--four hours = after the first. I=0Abounced around from great for two hours to near dea= d for two hours and thirty=0Aminutes for about a month before I noticed "= off" felt bearable again. Speculation on how DHs work: I have observed that Sinemet (the most dramatic drug) and some of the ot= her=0Aanti PD drugs have both acute and chronic benefits for the PWP. 1. The acute benefit counters PD symptoms hourly, causing the "on" part = of=0Athe daily cycle of "on-off." When conscientious neurologists construct a "dose response curve," this i= s=0Awhat they plot. 2. The chronic benefit is responsible for the base line "off" that impro= ves=0Aover the course of six months--sometimes longer--after initiating S= inemet (and=0Aperhaps others). It took me about two months to regain the= ability to walk=0Awhile "off." The best I can figure it, that drug holiday wiped out the chronic effect = of my=0Athree years on Sinemet. I believe that DHs are now recommended very rarely and only in an ICU= =0Asetting. Mine may have had a beneficial effect. I was able to return= to work=0Afor a couple of years starting about six months post "holiday.= " My conclusions: 1. IA DH is a far bigger deal than the hospital staff or I anticipated. 2. It may have helped my PD symptoms. 3. A DH is not a thing to be taken lightly. 4. It would probably require a trip to hell to feel worse. Regards, WHH 54/18