I'm a little taken aback by your characterization of my posts is extrapolating my experiences to everyone else. Perhaps it didn't come across, but my post was intended to convey my perspective as my perspective, and was sincere in asking other people for their perspectives. I certainly did not intend to extrapolate my perspective to everyone else, and quite honestly I don't think I did.

The 100% negative press on dopamine agonists is representative of 14 to 17% (To use the numbers from that study) of those who take dopamine agonists. I know that I feel as though I'm in the minority as one who has had a very good experience with a dopamine agonist.

That is part of the reason that I speak up -- so that anyone reading this message board who may be newly diagnosed will see that there is another perspective, which is important in my opinion particularly for young onset who will be much more severely and quickly affected by levodopa side effects if they are frightened out of trying a dopamine agonist first.

And while it is true to some degree that we all react differently to different medications -- I don't think I suggested that wasn't the case -- is more true that virtually everyone ends up on levodopa, and virtually everyone experiences it side effects, eventually.

That is a huge unifying experience. And I don't understand why, given its total inadequacy as a long-term therapy, and given its inevitability in our lives as people with Parkinson's, it seems to be just accepted.

And, if you want to get technical about it, that isn't my experience, I have never taken levodopa.

I am too tired to finish writing this now -- I'll finish by saying again I did not intend to extrapolate my experience to everyone else's -- three quarters of what I said is simply fact. I believe that I prefaced that which was my opinion with this is my opinion.