Diagnosing
PD
This is
how I was diagnosed.
Sinemet
CR is being used in some areas as a means of determining if
a person has PD, or something else.
The rationale is, that if the Drs. are not sure what the patient
has, for example PD or ET; they give the patient Sinemet CR.
If there is a reduction in symptoms, they say that the patient
has PD. If there is no reduction, then the patient doesn't
have PD. Then they may look for other possibilities such as
ET. I was exposed to this procedure. I went on Sinemet Cr
for about a month, and when no change was evident, with my
doctor's suggestion, that I wean myself off the drug. In about
a week or 10 days, there was an increase in tremors that hadn't
been there before.
This led me to wonder if the drug had created its own necessity.
It has been estimated that 25% of all these prescriptions
have been faulty. Some 4 years later I went on a trial with
Comtan. After 27 days I weaned myself down from 3/day to 1
per day, and back up to 1 1/2 per day, my symptoms that had
diminished, now have increased beyond where they were prior
to starting Contan. Coincidence? I don't know! All I know
is, I will give a lot of thought before trying any new medication
in the future.
If
I had to do it all over again, I would insist upon a MRI before
starting any medication. So far, it is the only true test
for PD. It is estimated that east 25% to 30% of all diagnosing
is faulty.
MY
HEAD
-
This
is my PET Scan picture taken Sept. 1999.
