(No subject)

April 14, 2002

Just from reading emails, I fail to get a clear sense of what actually

improves life for MSA patients. So many of the meds have side

effects that I personally see as worse than the symptoms they treat

(apparently inaffectively in many cases). So some questions arise:

are you feeling you have been given enough information when the

doctor first prescribes?

do you feel pressured into taking the meds because family/friends are

eager to see something/anything work and you want to please them?

how do you deal with them about it? (asking the patient)

do you feel pressured to do something (taking meds) in desperation

without taking the time to search out pros and cons?

do you feel that meds are pushed rather than finding other

non-pharmaceutical alternatives (PT, feeding tubes)?

do you find yourself tempted often by the 'snake-oil' salesmen?

is just some time, beset by horrid side effects (brain fogg,

halucinations etc) worth it?

if faced with decisions again would you make the same ones?

It took some time to find a doctor not trying to push Parkinsons

meds on me, just to prove this was MSA and not Parkinsons, I'd already by

then read a good number of the group's postings. There are days I

would happily take a pill to work on the rigidity, but exercise works

too, just the motivation can be hard to come by. I know I do often

feel pressured to take something which shows little promise.

Fundamentally (and speaking only for myself), I feel better taking the

least possible, only those few meds that actually make funtioning

possible. Luckily (and oddly) I've not had to increase dosages over

the last few years, some I have decreased (could be lowered body weight,

or just lower tolerance one beer can now make me quite

giddy.

aletta mes

vancouver, bc Canada

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