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Dear Barbara, You said you were unclear as to whether festination is a symptom of PD or= a side effect of the meds. This is unclear to everyone but let me offer my opinion. Festination li= ke dyskinesia is not a side effect of medication but rather is a symptom of basic PD pathology which is manifested in the presence of exogenous dopamine. Furthermore, this pathology is actually a visual perceptive or= vision processing problem. The same pathology in the absence of dopamine= = manifests itself as akinesia. So I would speculate that akinesia and dyskinesia are two sides of the same coin and the side that is "up" is a function of medication level. Manipulating various parameters of vision c= an impact on akinesia, dyskinesia and festination and ultimately falling as well. regards, Tom