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Paul Ayers wrote: > In a discussion with my General Practice Dr. she stated that one > could become "sensitive" (if that is the right word) to the meds. I > came away from that conversation thinking that if I just put up with > the tremors, stiffness, and wandering thought process for a time, > then I could put off meds for a time until I "really" need them. > Does this make any sense? Hello and welcome to the list. In my opinion (10th year with PD dx and still learning): 1. It's a good idea to see a neurologist who is a movement disorder specialist. 2. It makes no sense to postpone medication if the symptoms are a problem or even a discomfort. The opinion you run across from time to time that PD meds (levodopa in particular) only work for five years or so is wrong. They may work indefinitely. They may work for 5 or 10 years with no objectionable side effects (such as dyskinesia). And the duration without side effects is not relative to how long you have been on the medication, but rather to progression of the disease and to one's age. 3. Many patients with early PD are over-medicated. You need the minimum dose level that gets rid of the symptoms. 4. Different people have different "sensitivities" to different meds. You won't know about yourself until you try. 5. Starting in the early stages of PD it may be worth the gamble to use medicines and supplements that are alleged to be neuroprotective and therefore slow the progress of the disease. There is research (not the latest word, perhaps) indicating that Eldepryl and Permax may be neuroprotective (references below for anyone interested). Antioxidant supplements such as Co-enzyme Q10 and (alpha-)lipoic acid may be worth looking into (see e.g., http://www.networkantioxidants.com - I don't get any kickbacks!). Best of luck, Phil Tompkins Hoboken NJ age 61/dx 1990 Gomez-Vargas M, Nishibayashi-Asanuma S, Asanuma M, Kondo Y, Iwata E, Ogawa N. Pergolide scavenges both hydroxyl and nitric oxide free radicals in vitro and inhibits lipid peroxidation in different regions of the rat brain. Brain Res 1998 Apr 20;790(1-2):202-8. PMID: 9593894. Mytilineou C, Radcliffe PM, Olanow CW. L-(-)-desmethylselegiline, a metabolite of selegiline [L-(-)-deprenyl], protects mesencephalic dopamine neurons from excitotoxicity in vitro. J Neurochem 1997 Jan;68(1):434-6. PMID: 8978757. Mytilineou C, Radcliffe P, Leonardi EK, Werner P, Olanow CW. L-deprenyl protects mesencephalic dopamine neurons from glutamate receptor-mediated toxicity in vitro. J Neurochem 1997 Jan;68(1):33-9. PMID: 8978707. Opacka-Juffry J, Wilson AW, Blunt SB. Effects of pergolide treatment on in vivo hydroxyl free radical formation during infusion of 6-hydroxydopamine in rat striatum. Brain Res 1998 Nov 9;810(1-2):27-33. PMID: 9813228.