I have been diagnosed with early stage PD (no noticeable curvature). I have been taking Potaba, acetyl-l carnitine and vitamin E for about a month with some moderate improvement in pain. I recently saw a specialist in PD who said I should be taking a combination of Trental, L-arginine and Viagra. Have you heard that the latter combination is effective? I am very concerned about taking Viagra on a daily basis and have not had any ED problems.

Firstly, how we should be treating men in your stage of the condition is unknown. Any advice you receive from a PD expert is based on personal opinion and not on real evidence. There is experimental evidence that pentoxifylline and Viagra may do “good things” to PD cells in a petri dish. However, at this time there is no evidence from human studies. There is human data on carnitine but no convincing evidence that alone or in combination it is of any significant benefit. Saying that all three agents are safe and likely you will experience no significant side effects. Viagra especially is totally safe for daily use.