----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, August 09, 1999 9:15
AM
Subject: Re: help???????
Dear Emma,
Welcome to the list. Your efforts to help
your mother's friend are magnificent. This IS the place to learn!
I am
a caregiver for my father, who actually has a Parkinson's Plus disease. I
don't claim to know a lot about all the various drugs--others on the list will
be more knowledgeable. However, I can share something I recently learned from
one of my father's neurologists.
There are four substances in the brain
(enzymes???) that direct and affect movement and moods. They are: dopamine,
serotonin, neurepinefrin, and acetocholine. Parkinson's is the result of
dopamine deficiency and levadopa, along with the variety of dopamine agonists,
works on this.
Effexor works on neurepinefrin. It has traditionally
been used as an anti-depressant. In fact, my nephew, who is bi-polar, takes
it. However, since my father's condition does not seem to respond to the drugs
that work on dopamine, and his experience with drugs that work on seratonin
resulted in hallucinations, the doctor is now trying (alternately) two drugs
that work on neurepinefrin. He is currently taking Wellburtin and has not yet
tried the Effexor. We haven't seen any effect yet. He is on an extremely low
dosage, and he refuses to let me increase it. Plus, I'm told that it can take
as long as 6 weeks until any effect is noticed.
That's about all I know
on these drugs. I'm sure others on the list can add more.
Jane
Koenig
Marietta, GA
(daughter of Fred, 80/MSA/2)
At 05:57 PM 8/9/99
+0930, you wrote:
>>>>
i was wondering if anyone could tell me which drug is
most comonly taken in the early stages of PD. My mothers friend takes
'EFEXOR - XR' (VENLAFAXIN). However, I have been reading that 'LEVODOPA' is
common. Can anyone tell me the difference betweeen these two? Maybe a little
about LEVODOPA? is the drug she is taking an anticholinergic drug? Help me
please????? Thankyou
Kind
Regards
Emma
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