Michael J. fox does go off his medicine.

[originalpckelly]

I don't where I heard it, but I did hear it a long time ago. However, to say Mr. Fox was faking his disease is just a bunch of bullshit. Of course Rush Limbaugh would be an expert in trying to get off medicine.

[hlthe2b]

1. HE times his meds to work maximally for him, when he most

needs to remain relatively tremor-free... That's how his been able to do some of his tv appearances. As with many neuro-active drugs, sometimes that means "weaning" off a bit to ensure that your body won't habituate to the drug or dose.

Limbaugh's words were simply predictably cruel and stupid...

[MrCoffee]

3. That's how my FIL treats his PD...

he's got to adjust his medications to when he's going to be active...they lose their effectiveness over time, and as the body builds a resistance to the drugs, he has shorter periods of activity.

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. Rush said what?

Oh never mind he is so fucking hateful I can only imagine.

[Maine-ah]

2. anybody here got some links with this?

[MercutioATC]

4. He intentionally went off his meds for his testimony before Congress.

No link...there was a Michael J. Fox special on cable a few weeks ago. He said that he intentionally went off of his meds so the panel could see what Parkinson's was really like.

[hlthe2b]

6. And that is a bad thing, why (i.e., to temporarily delay meds)?

Not really targeting this to the poster, but more a rhetorical question.

[MercutioATC]

8. I don't think it's a bad thing at all.

However, there IS precedent. It's possible that he went off his meds for the political ad.

[11 Bravo]

9. That is NOT the same thing as "faking it". n/t

[MercutioATC]

13. Actually, it's as far from "faking it" as one can get.

Without meds, what others see is are the real effects of Parkinson's.

I'm certainly not saying anything negative about MJF, I'm just pointing out that Limbaugh may have been technically correct that he wasn't taking his meds.

[Change has come]

28. Good for him

Sheds light on what it must be like for those who don't have insurance or access to these medications.

[DoYouEverWonder]

7. Yes, I remember when he testified

there's probably a video of it somewhere.

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. Well good for him

I wouldn't wish Parkinson's on anyone, not even limpbutt.

[RapidCreek]

17. I would.

If I could think if a more vile long lasting disease I'd wish it on Limbaugh....He is a truly evil person....with absolutely no redeeming qualities. If I were the next president...and inherited Bush's dictatorial powers, he'd be one of the people "disappeared" as an enemy comabatant....because he is...in every sense of the word....Cheney would be first on my list, however.

RC

[Gabi Hayes]

19. thank you.....sounds nasty, but I couldn't agree more.

does anybody on earth deserve the kind of karmic repayment he should get?

never forget: when that horrible congress of 94 swept into office, under the aegis of Gingrich and his list of words to use against "liberals," WHO did they have to give the speech to the new class of fascists?

that's right; none other than Limbaugh, because they knew he was INSTRUMENTAL in spreading the lies far and wide....the lies necessary to fool the mouthbreathers into voting these reactionary jacobins into power, whence they launched their campaign against Clinton, the people, and the constitution. they refined their tactics and their message for the next five years, when they got close enough in the 2000 election to steall their way into the presidency.

[RapidCreek]

26. Yea it's odd how people forget, isn't it?

RC

[hlthe2b]

5. "Timing" his medications does not equal "Going Off them..."

This is absolute BS

He is timing his meds for maximal effectiveness, which he might never need to consider if stem cell research had progressed to a cure...

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. My dad had Parkinson's

The medications had severe side effects. I think Dad went off of them every now and then just to feel less medicated. I do remember once when he was hospitalized for heart problems, they took him off all of his Parkinson's meds.

[CTyankee]

14. Lowbaugh made an incredibly cruel remark about JFK, Jr.'s death

right after his remains had been found. Rush thought it was entertaining to make observations about the condition of his body after having hit the water with such impact, the speculation being that JFK, Jr.'s body was pulverized by the impact. It was the nastiest, most repulsive thing I ever heard (I heard about it; I don't listen to Rush. Ever.).

I shudder to think about this man's karma. He is bound to reincarnate constantly in ever worsening situations, being stricken by horrible, disfiguring, painful diseases, dying slowly and painfully in a terrible accident, or simply being a cockroach crushed by the heel of a shoe...

[LittleClarkie]

15. Sometimes, when he does interviews, towards the end

you can tell the meds are wearing off alittle. He'll start off okay, but be alittle twitchy toward the end.

I missed Limbaugh today. What's the scrod saying now?

[ComerPerro]

16. If anyone would know how to fake symptoms, Rush would

[LTR]

18. We should only feel sympathy for self-inflicted ailments

Like hearing loss due to overuse of Oxycontin.

[boolean]

20. SO WHAT IF HE DID?!?!

The whole fucking POINT of the commercial is to show his disease. These fucking freeptards are vile.

[Bluebear]

21. Gee I heard he is quite faithful in taking it, I don't remember where I heard it. nt

[chat_noir]

22. Daily Kos

Long term use of L-dopa (the first drug you take for PD) causes dyskinesia--involuntary movements and even, at the end, sometimes hallucinations. I suspect that's what we were seeing in Fox's ad--it wasn't tremors or rigidity which, in Fox's case, must be really bad by this point. But it was the involuntary movement brought on by years of taking this drug.

Then again, I'm not a doctor. Just a PD patient's daughter.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/10/23/172251/20?deta...

[Ilsa]

24. I had to take my son off of Risperdal for that reason, even though

it was generally very effective in managing his aggression and OCD, etc. He started developing tics and jerks which would have gotten worse and affected him negatively. We replaced it with seroquel and he is doing better on it.

[hedgehog]

25. It reminds me of Oliver Sachs' book "Awakenings" about

using L-dopa to "unlock"patients who had developed a form of Parkinson's after the 1918 Flu epidemic. The L-Dopa worked at first, but after a while even the smallest dose caused severe side effects as bad as the original problem.

[hlthe2b]

27. Boy, do I remember that movie and going to see it with a friend...

who unbeknownst to me had lost his father (back in Iran before the Revolution--he was Persian) to Parkinson's. My friend had wanted to go see the film and I knew nothing about it beyond the fact that Robin Williams and Robert DeNiro were in it. I actually don't know if he knew what it was about. But well into the movie I turned to him to see tears coming down his cheeks and the night was one of the most emotional, I've ever experienced.

Every since then, I have been quite interested and extremely empathetic to those who suffer from or live with those suffering from PD. While Alzheimer's and traumatic brain disease are thought of as being more devastating on the family from the standpoint of losing communication with their loved one, PD is really really difficult as well...and late in the course, the sufferer will lose speaking and movement ability--while retaining their mental abilities. How horrendous!

[Dr Fate]

23. As far as "drug comedy" goes- Cheech & Chong are much funnier than Rush.

I dont get Rush's drug humor- although I heard that you can "see God" if you took a blood donation from him.

[Ferret Annica]

29. Here are two Youtube MJFox interview segments

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlER2dj4YyQ

Ray Preston's interview with Michael J. Fox - Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1T7GXCrQI0Y

Ray Preston's interview with Michael J. Fox - Part 2

[mucifer]

30. He has a disease which will put him in a wheel chair he will eventually

stop speaking then he will be bedridden. His mind through all of this will continue to function well. Then he will die. It's ugly. It's not Hollywood. I'm a hospice nurse. I've seen these things.

The only hope is new meds.