Hi,

I recently stumbled upon an online forum on immortality, of all things, where very young members (in the their 20's) were discussing the neuroprotective benefit of selegiline citrate in liquid form. It would have obvious benefit for those of us with PD as it is the natural form (derived from ephedra plant) of what many PWP receive in prescription form from their doctors. From what I understand, the liquid version is almost unaltered from its natural state and has none of the synthetic byproducts which end up as methamphetamine once metabolized.

Has anyone tried it? Know of a reliable source for it?

Thanks,

Laura

I don't know but don't tell Rick or we will never see him again! i have heard that the people who are promoting azilect also take it. I am pretty fuzzy off azilect and am sure it helps cognitive skills. But there is a price to be paid for putting chemicals in our bodies, even if they are legal. Come to think of it wonder if it is legal...oh well it was heresay. oops.

not in the same category, ashley, a regular poster is emphatic about low dose naltrexone and it's not uncommon to hear pwp taking benedryl - and RLsmi do you take something similar but under a different name? sorry if i misspelled. steve i think you do too. but selegeline is a stronger class of drug altogether isn't it? and has contraindications , can't have surgery, wonder if these 20 yr olds are taking it responsibly?

we're doing a chapter on alternative meds in the book. It could be a thick one, but wondering how much verification we will find. IF anyone has an exceptionally good article on other treatments please send it or post it but not looking for every little thing. If you can make a strong case for an alternative treatment send it in a labeled folder to one of us with resources. Max. may we quote from your post?

better to have more than less but if it isn't supported we can't really say much. in fact , we will have to discuss the handling of that chapter with big disclaimers. but it is too prevalent to ignore and we are searching for truth, not to win an argument. There is no doubt that meds have a down side which shows up after long term use. and it's a big downside that will cause some of our deaths.

i'd love to know where they are getting selegiline. meds can destroy your heart. a college drug? illegal? or is it insomething available that i don't know about.

it makes you sharp, even half a tab. i'll post another thread about what i have discovered after a couple days of nortriptyline.

thanks laura a provacative post and i'm going to bed later now, following my natural bio clock full of meds. then get up later, out of sync with the regular world as usual. i'm going to post where other thoughts led in my own already labeled quite appropriately and i should have about 10 of them before a month is out. letting it all out part 200...by christmas haha.

paula

I know the forum you are speaking of....it is often extreme, and recommends odd things. But once in a while, some of the posts are interesting.

I searched this and found this website:
http://www.liquid-deprenyl.com/

I can't vouch for it however. I would need more info before trying or making a determination of safety, etc.

I just wanted to toss this in for thought. Benedryl was one of the very first drugs used for PD treatment prior to the discovery of Sinemet. This is in part why if you ask your neuro what you should take for a cold or allergies they will say Benedryl.

dextromethorphan is another ancillary drug some PD patients use.

(was unaware of the following properties of this drug )

Dextromethorphan: d-isomer of the codeine analog of levorphanol; dextromethorphan shows high affinity binding to several regions of the brain, including the medullary cough center; this compound is an NMDA receptor antagonist (n-methyl-d-aspartate receptors) and acts as a noncompetitive channel blocker; it is one of the widely used antitussives, and is also used to study the involvement of glutamate receptors in neurotoxicity.

You might want to adopt a tactic I am using on my blog and presentalternatives as individual areas that have enough research or anecdotes to demand investigation. For example there are a ton of reasons why turmeric should be explored by both scientist and patient. Similarly, there are a handful of anecdotes on penicillin vk relieving symptoms. Both extremes need to be looked into, not ignored. I can give you fifty or so without even trying hard if you want to take that tack. People will criticize and docs will scoff if you present it as a viable use today (even if it is) but they have a harder time when you shove a couple of dozen Medline citations at them and say "Investigate!"

thanks, it's going to be very useful!

paula

Maybe I just have a slowly progressing case, but I seem to be doing extremely well for having been diagnosed in April of 2001. I continue to take 4mg of dextromethorphan HBr in the form of over the counter pediatric cough syrup. I began taking DM in 2003 on the strength of the work of Dr. J-S Hong's laboratory at the National Institues of Environmental Health at Research Triangle NC. He demonstrated that ultra-low (femtomolar) concentrations of the morphinan drugs naltrexone, naloxone, and dextromethorphan were equally effective in preventing activation of microglial cells in cell cultures of mouse midbrain by lipopolysaccharide, a bacterial component which has been shown to be a possible trigger of neurodegeneration.
I base my dosage and method of DM use on that found effective with Low-Dose naltrexone by those taking it for a variety of conditions such as MS, fibromyalgia and Crohn's disease. I am simply using the form of this class of drugs that is available over the counter.
Of course, I also contine to take carbidopa/levodopa CR, 150/600 mg each day, along with 100mg amantadine, 900mg CoQ10, gonzo multivitamins and minerals, a tonic with very high resveratrol content, Welbutrin and Cymbalta.

We recently returned from a 5000-plus mile driving trip from Louisiana to Seattle via Yellowstone NP. The wife and I were returning our grandson home after spending the summer with us. The only downside of PD I experienced was the "epic" tumble I took (witnessed by the 16 year old grandson) when I attempted to make my way down the riverbank to an especially beautiful stretch of rapids on the Yellowstone river. Nothing broken except for cuts, scratches and bruises, along with my dignity. Highly skilled roadside first aid (and consolation, along with admonitions to avoid such foolhardy expeditions in the future) administered by my DW and aforementioned grandson soon had the bleeding stanched and all of us proceeding with sightseeing.

That last part really had nothing much to do with my dextromethorphan use, (except perhaps as a testimony to its possible salutory effects on bone strength in a 71 year old parkie) but it has been so long since I posted that I just had to slip it in!

Robert

Hello Robert, sorry to hear of your fall, though sounds as if the recovery was fast. i am sure you have noted this in former postings, would you share the dosage of DM you take /day? thanks, madelyn

I have to add that it is incredible to me that these "alternatives" are completely ignored yet the pharmas will spend millions on drugs that don't work and even illegally hide and/or tweak and skew data to cover up or minimize adverse events and increase sales (referencing the recent thread on Zymbalta or however it's spelled, and that's only one of the many situations like that out there). If a tenth of that money were spent on some of the things talked about here....I doubt we'd be here.