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09-17-2009, 11:57 AM | #1 | ||
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Junior Member
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Hi everybody!
Just wanted to introduce myself and thank everybody in this great forum, full of great people and useful information. My name is Jose; I’m 45 and live in Spain. I went to the neurologist with right hand tremor and stiffness, and pain in the wrist, thinking I had repetitive strain injury due to computer use. On June 23rd, after a magnetic resonance and a SPECT, I was diagnosed PD. I’ve been prescribed Rasagiline, 1mg/day. Though the tremor is not completely gone, it shows mostly when my hand is resting; I can now drink a glass of water without anybody noticing the slight tremor remaining and, most important, stiffness when writing and jerkiness when moving my fingers have disappeared. Besides medication, my neurologist said I had to exercise and, after 20 years of sedentary life, I’ve started to walk 1 hour, six days per week and do Pilates once a week. I’ve also been reading a lot since I was diagnosed, but I’ve focused on neurochemistry, pharmacology and such, because at first when I read a bit about symptoms and clinical evolution I became too stressed and depressed (it took me about a month to recover from the news and those first readings). It’s been a steep learning curve, as I’m an electronics engineer and my chemistry background is practically non-existent. Thanks to this forum and several other sources on the Internet, I’ve started to understand the current state of knowledge and research in PD. As a result I’ve started to take green tea extract as iron chelator (with my neurologist’s approval). I’ve also read about M30 and wrote to Varinel, who answered they’re not testing on human beings yet. I’ve read about Cogane and wrote to Phytopharm, who answered they are currently testing with people, but only in UK. And I’ve read here about Isradipine, which seems to limit Ca induced apoptosis. I talked about it to my neurologist and he told me not to take it. I understand that, as a doctor, he cannot prescribe a medication which is not formally approved for a certain use. Otherwise he would be responsible for whatever undesired side effects might happen to me. But I can’t stop thinking about it. I could be delaying the evolution of PD if I were taking Isradipine!! And there’s an additional problem, I’ve never had high blood pressure (last time I checked I had 11/6). Well, this is my introduction and my questions are: do you think I could take Isradipine? Anybody in the forum without high blood pressure is taking it? What would the doses be? Sorry for such a long post (maybe I should have asked in the Isradipine thread, but it seemed to me that my introduction would be completely OT) and sorry for the English mistakes I may have done. And thank you for your help!! |
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09-19-2009, 06:00 PM | #2 | |||
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Senior Member
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Joem,
Welcome to our group! You have found easily the best forum out here on living with PD on our terms. I'm sorry I don't have an answer for you but responded in hope to bump this question for more response. I too, am interested in the same topic, I have a low base line BP and wonder how taking Isradipine would affect it. I know that Sinemet makes me light headed sometimes but usually I'm okay. I see a new Movement Disorder Specialist, and I think will ask this very same question to see how progressive he is toward treating our condition. I'll let you know what he says unless someone has informed us otherwise. Best, Laura |
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09-20-2009, 05:21 AM | #3 | ||
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Junior Member
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Thank you for your answer Laura. I made the same question on another forum (patientslikeme) and was referred to ginger as an alternative (and milder) calcium blocker. I'll try to get ginger extract and experiment.
Jose |
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09-22-2009, 07:20 AM | #4 | |||
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Senior Member
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JoeM,
I take isradipine - and do have hypertension. My MDS prescribes it for me because I DO have hypertension. She has told me that she won't prescribe it for patients who do not have hypertension, though. I know that's not an answer to your question, though. Just a little more info. Jean
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Jean B This isn't the life I wished for, but it is the life I have. So I'm doing my best. |
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