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From: [log in to unmask] Return-path: <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: shortness of breath Date: Thu, 11 Mar 1999 09:15:45 EST Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Helen - My husband, Dick (54/17) has been experiencing shortness of breath for about a year and a half. His doctor ran a lot of tests, and found no physical cause. I brought this up on the list about the time we first noticed it, and someone told me that, in his/her opinion, Mirapex might be the cause. Does your husband take Mirapex or Requip? The explanation was that levadopa without the appropriate amount of carbidopa to balance it can cause shortness of breath. In theory, if Mirapex makes more dopamine available in the body, the person might need more carbidopa to balance it. I asked Dick's neuro about that, and he pretty much scoffed at it. So I suppose it's probably not true. But I'd be interested to know if your husband is taking Mirapex. The other symptoms that increased in severity about the time Dick started on Mirapex are freezing and balance problems. The Mirapex otherwise has so many outstanding benefits that he wouldn't consider stopping it due to those side effects. Does your husband become out of breath only upon exertion? That's when we notice Dick's shortness of breath most, but he has been known to experience it when he's sitting perfectly still but concentrating hard on a task. Margie Swindler