Originally Posted by dan1000

When I stopped taking it, I simply stopped. No weaning needed (unlike, for example, pramipexole).

My understanding of the reason is this: Azilect is an irreversible MAO-B inhibitor. As such, it permanently disables MAO-B by binding to it, preventing it from binding to dopamine. When one stops taking Azilect, it takes many days for the body to replenish the bound MAO-B with newly formed unbound MAO-B (I seem to remember the replenishment rate being about 10% per day, so even after 1 week, about 30% of one's bound MAO-B would remain.

In other words, after quitting Azilect cold turkey, it takes 1 to 2 weeks for the body to replace the drug-affected MAO-B with fresh, unaffected MAO-B. That's long enough for all the body's chemical systems to adjust, hence no weaning needed.

Note: This analysis is for those taking Azilect for its dopaminergic effect, which is supposedly why most of us are prescribed it. But in reality, a lot of us are taking it for its purported neuroprotective effects (i.e.: the possibility that it slows the progression of the disease). The neuroprotective effect is controversial, and may not even be happening. But if it is happening, it is happening by a completely different mechanism of action than the dopaminergic mechanism of action. The neuroprotective mechanism of action is unknown - we simply don't know how or why it works. Therefore, it may be that the neuroprotective effect tapers off at a completely different rate than the dopaminergic effect.

Still, when I quit it, I quit it cold turkey, and didn't suffer any ill effects.

Note: Anyone who follows medical advice from a forum like this is a fool. Use the forum as input to help you formulate questions for your doctor. I'm not a doctor, so this post from me is merely input to help you come up with questions for your own doctor.

Dan