I continue to perseverate about this topic, so my thoughts:
the discussion about dextromethorphan and its "unscientific" use by several members of this community reminds me of the story of amantadine and how it came to be used in PD. It was purely observational information from PD patients who were taking the drug for its flu-protection effects. these individuals reported the effects to their physician who reported the observation in one of the medical journals. Debate continues about amantadine's mechanism of action--is it a weak dopamine agonist , releasing dopamine from nerve endings thereby allowing more availability for dopamine receptor activity or is is an NMDA antagonist, counteracting increased excitatory glutamatergic activity, or does it affect the cholinergic system, or something else?


perhaps one of the members who is taking DM could persuade their physician to write an observational report for a journal and then it would appear to have the approval of the medical community, though in fact, would be an observational report from one physician.

I have found this community to be one in which there is sharing of information that is "scientific", "observational" and alternative. Some of us need the approval of physicians to undertake a therapy, others do not. I do agree that we are all responsible for researching a potential therapy prior to adopting it, but I for one welcome this kind of exchange. due to the overwhelming financial objectives for pharmaceutical research today, many potential therapies are lost.

One of the neurologists whom we consulted in 2005, related that many of her patients were reporting postivie effects from taking "Mobic", a non steroidal anti-inflammatory. Have not seen a research study utilizing this agent, and probably will not. She retired from practice before writing up the reported observations.....

taken to its extreme, any pharmaceutical therapy or surgical intervention for PD is "experimental" for any individual patient. acting upon shared observational information after researching the information oneself has obvious hazards, but witness the reports of problems with the dopamine agonists. you obviously hedge your bets when relying upon FDA approved drugs, but the risks remain.
I am in hopes others will not be discouraged from sharing their unscientific observations --perhaps one of us will stumble upon an "amantadine". In the meantime, whose signature includes the pronouncement--"go hard science"!! I agree, but I will attempt to help myself as much as possible as I rely upon hard "sanctioned" science.
madelyn