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Carole and Ted...

I wonder if Ted might have had any beverages containing caffeine
prior to the "agitation attack?"

 I've gone to lunch with several PWPs and watched as we each had
near-mood-altering experiences while downed glass after glass
after glass of iced tea or colas on empty stomachs while waiting
for our meals to be brought to the table.   And if that wasn't
enough, the bus-boy kept topping off our glasses with even more
the caffeine-laden beverages of every few minutes throughout the
meal.

We were all FLYING by the time we left the restaurant!

I've seen this caffeine reaction a number of times in Parkies -
frequently accompanied by dramatically increased dyskenesia, rapid
speech, and giddiness (plus, it's mighty tough on one's bladder!).

This possibility rang a bell with me upon reading your original
message, but I felt kinda silly suggesting it at the time.
However, In an effort not to overlook something so simple that it
might not be obvious, I'm decided to run it by you.

You're both in my thoughts and prayers....

Barb Mallut
[log in to unmask]


-----Original Message-----
From: Carole K. Menser <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tuesday, July 13, 1999 7:43 AM
Subject: TED


Hello --

I talked to Ted this morning and he is sounding so much better.
Thank God.  And I talked to his sister who arrived last night and
was at the hospital.  She said he seems fine -- just sleeping a
lot.  Probably from the Mellaril???   Hopefully, we will both be
able to fly back home on Friday as planned.  I'm hopeful his neuro
here will take him off the Melliril when we get back.  I think so
as he reacted negatively to hearing that they had put him on that
medication.  We hope to go to the Parkinson's center of excellence
at UC San Francisco as soon as possible for an evaluation.  Ted is
totally oriented as he has been all along.  He always knew where
he was and could answer questions in a totally coherent and
rational manner.  I talked to him for over an hour on the phone
when he was in the middle of the crisis.  He responded and did
what I asked him to do.  He wasn't suicidal or threatening to harm
anyone.  In fact, he was the one saying that he needed to get some
help.  He just simply could not control the hyperactivity (I'm
thinking that perhaps this is a better term than "agitation") from
the overmedication or combo of meds, it seems to me -- along with
the severe dyskinesia that he has never before experienced.  I'm
hopeful that once his meds get straightened out, things will
settle down a bit.

Thanks again to everyone for all your help, information and
support.  Keep us in your thoughts and prayers over the next few
weeks especially.  We'll do the same for you.  :-)  I'll be
leaving in a couple of hours.

Carole Menser