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Dear Sherry, Others can better answer your question regarding the amount of levodopa your mother is taking. But I do have a couple of comments. If she is using regular Sinemet, she MUST take it at least 30 minutes before meals. If she is using Sinemet CR (controlled-release) she can take it with meals, however, it will take much longer to "kick-in" (take effect). You must make it very clear to the staff at the facility that PD is a unique disease, and her medications will be useless if she does not receive them at the proper time. With regard to the crawly feeling, does she take calcium supplements? As she has had a recent fracture, she is probably given hormone replacement therapy and anti-osteoporotic medication; however, I have found that some physicians neglect to tell patients that they also require calcium, magnesium, and vitamins D & K for bone strength, and bone thinning indicates that supplements are probably needed. Calcium and magnesium are also needed in muscle movement, and a deficiency can contribute to the kind of feelings your mother is experiencing, although "restless leg syndrome" is not necessarily attributable to mineral deficiency. Levodopa can sometimes relieve "restless leg" but, again, she must receive it before meals to get the maximum effect. Best regards, Kathrynne Sherry Macredes wrote: > > My Mom (75) has been taking 100MG of carbidopa/levodopa three times per day, > before meals for the last several years. Her symptoms are "tip toeing" and > loss of dexterity, no tremor etc. Lately, after two stays in the hospital > (broken hip and impacted bowel) since April 1 she has been having trouble > sleeping. At first I thought it was just getting off the pain killers she > was on while in the hospital and rehab center, but she says she gets real > "antsy" and her legs feel all crawly and she has to get up and walk around. > When I ask the dr if she may need an adjustment in her meds, he says she is > taking the right dosage now. My question, is 300mg per day the top of the > dosage or should she be able to take more? She lives in an assisted care > facility and they pass out the meds before meals, can this be having an > affect on the strength? What to do for a sleepy mom? > > Thanks. > Sherry -- Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD Medical nutrition therapy for Parkinson's disease Author: "Eat well, stay well with Parkinson's disease" "Parkinson's disease: interview and assessment tools for nutrition professionals" "Risk for malnutrition and bone fracture in Parkinson'sdisease," J Nutr Elderly. V18:3;1999. http://www.nutritionucanlivewith.com/