D0gma,

Thank you for your thoughts on the topic. I think it's very important and refreshing to hear a personal perspective that challenges some of the ideas about Parkinson's and its treatment. I really appreciate your discussion!

Also, I discussed it a bit more with my Mom, and I didn't have my facts 100% correct, so I wanted to clear that up so I'm not providing misleading data points.

Here is a more accurate rendition of the initial onset of her symptoms:

1. She went through a difficult time when her mother passed and was put on Prozac and Xanax.

2. She stopped taking Xanax and developed a tremor in her hand. That was one of the first signs that eventually led to her "diagnosis" of PD. Unfortunately, she doesn't remember whether the bradykinesia had kicked in yet or not ... she thinks it had.

3. Another doctor put her on Madopar (levadopa + benserazide), so she was on this l-dopa medication for a while before starting the Sinemet. Her other PD-like symptoms (bradykinesia and blank stare, etc.) were there during the time she was on Madopar. She says that Madopar did not really relieve her of these symptoms (maybe they helped cause them??).

4. Finally, she was put on Sinemet (600mg/day), which relieved her of the bradykinesia and other symptoms, but definitely caused other problems like dyskinesia, etc.

So, in conclusion:
1. it does seem like the initial meds (e.g., Xanax) could have been involved in triggering some PD-like symptoms
2. it's possible that Sinemet, and Madopar before that, are as much to blame for relieving her PD-like symptoms while at the same time perpetuating them.