Hi everyone. 16 months after dx not on any meds. I am now slowing down and everything is getting a bit harder to do. Tremor is still not too bad coming and going depending on how tired / stressed I am. I think it is now time to start on the meds. At my last hospital appointment (March) I was told I could start when I felt the time was right. I was given the option of Elderpryl (selegiline) or Requip (ropinirole)which I know is a DA. I know someone out there will have been on both these drugs and I know that we are all different,but can you let me know of your experiences so that I can weigh up the pros and cons of both.
Thanks

The trouble is that these drugs have different effects on different people so I could tell you requip works for me (which it does)but it might make you vomit constantly and feel like death (Mirapexin was not pretty).

Unfortunately, the only way to determine which works for you is to try them.

Caroline.

hi syke,im on mirapexon and sinemet,ive had pd for 11 half years,couple years ago i was on mirapexon,but on 8 aday and i had awful side effects,so they were reduced,and now im on 4 ,my pd was deffo effected by the change,but least i dont have those effects no more.sinemet i could not say a bad word about,its nown as the gold drug,and i would back that.but as you no we are all different and we all react to drugs in different ways,the best advice you could have is speak with your nurse or neuro,speak to the helpline of puk,for guidence as well,community members will give you advice like your askin for as well.and i hope you choose wisley,and i wish you luck x

I have been on both, still on selegiline (which I will call S) and Ropinerole (R).

type
S = MAOB inhibitor - stops MAOB from tidying up loose dopamine
R = dopamine agonist - pretends to be dopamine for some cells nut not all

obsessive behaviour
S = no affect
R = one of the biggest culprets, dose dependant

titration
S = none or little but dont stop taking
R = long titration up and down doses

effectiveness
S = possibly negligible if you have little natural dopamine and not taking ldopa

R = usually effective but not for all symptoms

other effects
S = quite a few potential, oedema, can cause high blood pressure if stopped suddenly or too many taken
R = nausea, sleepiness, some others

interactions
S= quite a few and its effects last several weeks in the system
R= not many doesn't last too long

the long lasting versions of ropinerole usually work better.
most people get azilect instead of selegiline - but its much more expensive. personally i found selegiline possibly more effective than azilect but more side effects

if you go on selegiline on its own, it will probably only be for a year or so when your natural dopamine is further depleted.



cheers

ps there is no reason why you can't take both but your neuro will want to start with one or the other. its usual to start with a MAOB and then add the DA but each neuro has their own way of doing things, hence selegiline instead of azilect.
the only reason i am not on R is that it is not available where i am. i found it very effective when kept within guidelines though non-extended version made me fall asleep.

Does anyone know if drooling is caused by the medication or is one of the very many symptons of Parkinsons

My husband is taking Sinemet Plus and uses a Rotigotine patch daily , along with BP medkicaton and low dose of Amitriptyline

horrible word 'drooling'. but i have been doing a bit. consensus seems to be that its not the medication but pd causing either excessive saliva or to long intervals between swallowing. my guess is both! there are treatments to reduce saliva but they look to me to be rather severe and may result in not enough saliva which is probably much worse!!!

Thank you Turnip , No win situation . The reason I thought it might be the medication is because seems to happen more about 30 mins after he takes his Sinemet . When at the same his eyes involuntary close and he has sudden sleep episodes . .

Because of the this we reduced the Sinemet from Plus. to 110 mg , could have been barking up the wrong tree and he might have needed more not less ..

Thanks for all the replies.

Still not sure which one, sometimes its harder being given a choice.
Will go to my GP and get the ball rolling anyway. I don't know if he will prescribe or if I need to see the PD nurse.

On a better note I am going on holiday at the end of this week so don't want to start anything in case it gives me the dreaded lurgy or something else equally pleasant.
Take care

Hi Jonnie,

Drooling (I agree with Turnip horrible word) is very common with PD and a lot to do with lack of swallowing, some people have a mint or boiled sweet and that seems to help, you can also get medication for it. My husband has had several chest infections this year and this is caused by him aspirating to much so I have asked for him to be referred to a speech and language therapist as they can help a lot in this area.
I hope that helps a little.
best wishes
vivian