[Robin LLoyd Kaplan]

I am new to this forum, so please bear with me. I was diagnosed with PD ten years ago. My initial symptoms  were mild stiffness and slowness of gait and micrographia. I was initially treated with Azilect alone with a starting dose of 0.5 mg once a day. Unlike most of the other forum members. I experienced immediate improvement in my stiffness and gait disturbance, and when the dosage was increased to 1 mg per day (in the morning), the improvement in my stiffness and gait was complete. Sadly, no  effect was observed on my micrographia, which continues to be a distressing symptom of PD. Over the course of the last ten years, more medications have been prescribed to treat additional symptoms of PD. I currently am taking Sinemet 25/100 3 tablets three times a day, plus 2 tablets of Sinemet ER at bedtime, ropinerole ER 12 mg a day, in addition to the Azilect (rasagiline generic) 1 mg everyday. I have debilitating stiffness and balance issues, to the point that I now use a walker whenever I leave my house. I also have severe dysphonia, and I am currently enrolled in the LSVT LOUD program of speech therapy, an intensive program designed for PD patients with dysphonia.  Oddly, at no time have I been afflicted with tremors. I have considered DBS treatment,  but I am not a good candidate for that treatment modality. because I lack tremors, and DBS experience includes worsening of balance issues with that mode of treatment, which would increase the risk  of falling, which I already experience  three to four times a week. Fortunately, I have not injured myself because  I have usually fallen on my butt. NO broken bones, yet.

Does anyone have any suggestions for me?

Robin Kaplan