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.>>Lots of
.>..info. Sometimes, however, the Dr. will include an article with his
answer,
>>>making the message rather large.

Phil....how do you open these attachments...I can never get them open...thx.
Joan Hartman



----- Original Message -----
From: Phil Tompkins <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, December 10, 1999 6:50 AM
Subject: Re: Understanding side effects data (Was: Dystonia versus
Rigidity/respoonse to Brian)


> I asked Dr. Lieberman the same question via NPF web page
> http://www.parkinson.org "ask the doctor".  He says that adverse events
> are recorded during clinical trials for both patients taking the drug and
> patients taking the placebo, but no history of adverse events prior to the
> trials is taken.
>
> This means, using Joe Bruman's example, that if 11.6% of patients who
> took Permax had dyskinesia and 8% who took the placebo had dyskinesia,
> then there was an increase of 3.6% as a result of the Permax, and not that
> dyskinesia developed in 8% of those taking the placebo.
>
> This seems obvious in retrospect where dyskinesia is involved.  But it
> wasn't clear to me to begin with.  In the case of, say, 10% taking drug x
> and having headaches and 3% taking the placebo and having headaches, I
> might have thought that these percents of people in both groups developed
> headaches during the trials that they didn't have before. Am I the only
one
> who misinterpreted this?  If so, I'm sorry for taking up space with a dumb
> question.
>
> Dr. Lieberman also said that there are standard lists of adverse effect
> terms, but whether or not to use them is not standard.
>
> By the way, you can subscribe to the NPF "ask the doctor" and get a daily
> e-mail containing questions to and answers from Dr. Lieberman.  Lots of
> info. Sometimes, however, the Dr. will include an article with his answer,
> making the message rather large.
>
> Phil Tompkins
> Hoboken NJ
> age 61/dx 1990
>