Hello List friends - a long while since I posted here ... I tend to be a
steady lurker, and occasional 'off-list' participant. I hope this doesn't
disqualify me from seeking info when the need arises ...
Following recent postings to the list on estrogen/pd/dementia I raised the
subject of HRT with my GP when I saw him last week. I resisted it during
the climacteric because of a family history of breast cancer (mother's
sister). I was dx PD a year after menopause, and I now know the onset of
my PD was masked to a considerable extent by symptoms of menopause.
My early post-dx fears related mostly to cognitive changes I experienced
over the previous 3-4 years which were not explained by a view of PD as a
movement disorder. Some of you may recall I posted on the subject of
cognitive change/PD when I first joined the list in about November '96.
Because of these concerns I resisted PD medications with side effects like
memory loss, confusion, loss of concentration, etc. and held out for
levodopa.
Well, time passes, and CT and MRI scans as well as two neuropsych
assessments reassure me I am still cognitively intact. I take a range of
vitamin/mineral/herbal supplements (including DHEA), have a regular and
comprehensive exercise programme, have taken Madopar Q (50/12.5) up to 5
per day for the past 8 months (I've taken Eldepryl 5 mgs x 2 per day for 18
months) and while I know I'm slowing, I generally feel heaps better than I
have in perhaps the past 8 years. My memory, ability to concentrate and
retain ideas, hold the thread of a conversation/discussion etc. have all
improved markedly (not solely a subjective judgment). I do notice a
decline in my organisational abilities, and a tendency to become confused
and flustered with such tasks, but I sometimes think this is a result of
being undermedicated - if I'm moving well I tend to cut back on the
medication ... this might be a mistake.
I thought it would be interesting to try an estrogen supplement (somehow
the FH of breast cancer does not faze me like it once did ... my mortality
and I seem to u/stand each other a little better these days <g>) to test
the general benefits claimed in the two research reports posted here, eg.
_ " ...women who at some point had received hormone replacement
therapy
demonstrated less disease progression over time than those who had not
taken estrogen."
- " ...in Parkinson's patients who used estrogen replacement therapy, the
risk of dementia decreased by more than 75% compared with Parkinson's
patients who did not take estrogen replacement therapy."
- " ...women with a history of HRT showed better functional ability and
slowed disease progression compared with women without such histories
... reflected in being better able to function within daily living
activities, such as dressing and walking, as well as in formal
neurologic measurements for stiffness and slowness of movements."
As well, I'm wondering if there just might be a spin-off in improvements in
bladder function - urgency/frequency - symptomatic of both menopause and
PD.
I note that none of my 'alternative' gurus (eg. Andrew Weil, Earl Mindell,
Kitty Campion) have anything encouraging to say about HRT, but my current
aim is not to follow any one philosophy, but to weigh up as many options as
I can. My GP (trained in western medicine, but with strong interests in
integrative practices) has read some recent research reports on
HRT/dementia (tho' not those on PD) and agrees to a trial of Premarin 0.3
mgs daily ... but ...
... to be taken in conjunction with 5 mgs daily of melatonin which he
claims has a protective effect on estrogen receptors in breast tissue (I
don't remember all he said about this!). I'm aware of the effectiveness of
melatonin in treating insomnia in PD, but have not heard of its use in
conjunction with estrogen before. I did save one posting on melatonin from
the List, copied below, which is self-explanatory. However, I'd really
like to hear from anyone out there on HRT/estrogen supplementation and/or
who uses, or has used melatonin.
Melatonin is not freely available in Australia. I have a prescription and
the address of a supplier, but am told that 100 x 5 mgs will cost me $80A.
I believe it is much less expensive in the US, and that there is no
restriction on my importing it for my own use. Can anyone let me have
contact details of mail order companies who can give me more information on
availability, cost, etc., please? If possible, email addresses will be
much appreciated.
If you respond to the List, will you please copy your response to me direct
as well ... I get the Digest at present and might miss replies that go only
to the List.
Thanks to you all for being out there ... I'm kind of addicted to you even
if you are not always aware of it.
Best wishes
Beth Leslie 54/20 mths
**********************
Date: Thu, 26 Feb 1998 06:41:17 -0500
From: Linda Carlton <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: The interaction of melatonin and its precursors...
J Pineal Res 1998 Jan;24(1):15-21
The interaction of melatonin and its precursors with aluminium, cadmium,
copper, iron, lead, and zinc: an adsorptive voltammetric study.
Limson J, Nyokong T, Daya S
Department of Chemistry, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa.
[Medline record in process]
Melatonin, a pineal secretory product, and its precursors, tryptophan
and serotonin, were examined for their metal binding
affinities for both essential and toxic metals: aluminium, cadmium,
copper, iron, lead, and zinc. An electrochemical technique,
adsorptive stripping voltammetry, showed the varying abilities of
melatonin and its precursors to bind the metals in situ. The
results show that the following metal complexes were formed: aluminium
with melatonin, tryptophan, and serotonin; cadmium
with melatonin and tryptophan; copper with melatonin and serotonin;
iron(III) with melatonin and serotonin; lead with
melatonin, tryptophan, and serotonin; and zinc with melatonin and
tryptophan. Iron(II) showed the formation of an in situ
complex with tryptophan only. These studies suggest a further role for
melatonin in the reduction of free radical generation and
metal detoxification, and they may explain the accumulation of aluminium
in Alzheimer's disease.
PMID: 9468114, UI: 98127628
*****************************
Beth Leslie
Social Sciences, Humanities & Education - ISTP
Murdoch University
MURDOCH 6150
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Tel. (08) 9360 2775 (w)
(08) 9336 3068 (h)
Fax (08) 9360 6421
