Boann
"Why are people so upset about the idea that one might experience withdrawal if one goes off a dopamine agonist? There are plenty of drugs from which one would experience withdrawal when one ceases taking them.

If you have to go off the drug, you go through withdrawal, it may be terrible, but it ENDS."

The point is that, as the article under discussion says, for some people it doesn't end, and they can't get off it. And if you're gonna say that going off mirapex is like any other drug that you might suffer a withdrawal pang from, that's just not the case, so yes, I would say you're under-informed. But I'll get over it.

Meanwhile, Carey, I think the issue at the core this thread is DAWS, the syndrome itself, and yes, it's true that they specify one type of medicine, this syndrome does occur also with Sinemet, yes indeedy. And the article's title says "Parkinson's drugs."

And Boann, you are so right, they snuck that stuff right onto the label last year without any public notice or even comment from my doctor...The thing is you can even get neuroleptic malignant syndrome if you regularly eat fava beans and suddenly stop. So to me, once again, the point is that finally someone is talking about the withdrawal from a dependence on agents that specifically raise your dopamine levels from outside your own body, and treating it with the seriousness it deserves.

I don't want to discourage anyone from working out what might be right for them, but in making that decision I think by articulating some caveats we could be helpful. Yes, I was on much more of the stuff than most people would be and I wasn't started with that. That is different, and I fervently hope that the "younger generation" is being treated better. But my awful experience will have been in vain if I don't let people know about it.

Boann, I'm curious - where did you see Sinemet specifically exempted from the same kind of criticism as the agonists or held out as a 'safe' solution? I did get an impression sort of like that, but more unspoken in the air kind of thing rather than clearly stated somewhere. I do think this is relevant to the thread because the issue is the syndrome, its identification, and bringing it to the attention of the scientific community and now the public as well. I've never thought of Sinemet as safe, just a little more predictable. But I never saw written proof of its neurotoxicity before I saw that patent application for mucuna by Dr. Olanow. Then it was all frighteningly clear.