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Theresa, the first warnings that you will get from those of us on the list are that 1) Parkinson's is a designer disease - if is different for everybody who has it. 2) Those of us on the list who are not physicians are not qualified to give advice on medical issues. 3) Those of us qualified to give advice will not give it without examining the patient first. 4) Those of us qualified to give advice may differ among themselves as to what advice to give. What you gain from this list is a consensus of idea from people close to the disease. I think these answers would come close to that consensus: We would first ask who your doctor is: a general practitioner, a neurologist, or a movement disorder specialist? Most doctors have not enough experience with Parkinson's to send a patient to a neurologist when the patient has early Parkinson symptoms. Most neurologists, in turn, see Parkinson patients as only a small percentage of their practice, and they are not likely to be as knowledgeable as a movement disorder specialist, whose practice is made up primarily of Parkinson's patients. Most knowledgeable neurologists tend to want to put off Sinemet (levodopa) as long as possible, using agonists such as Mirapex, Requip, and Permax instead. One of the reasons for this is that evidence leads us to the belief that Sinemet does become ineffective over time. Essentially Sinemet adds to the amount of dopamine in the system. An agonist is a medication that helps the dopamine work. Sinemet can cause dyskinesia, the involuntary movements of which you speak; and 1150 mg does sound a bit much. Before commenting further, we would like to know his medication schedule - when and how much, etc. Timing of Parkinson medications is often critical to their effectiveness. Comtan is a "COMT inhibitor." It inhibits the action of an enzyme which metabolizes the dopamine. It therefore makes the Sinemet last longer. Eventually you might want to use it, and it has generally had good reports on this list. I would not guess that it is indicated at this point, but I can not speak authoritatively to that. As time goes by, I hope that you will stick with this list, learn more from it, and possibly be able to contribute in the future. Art At 05:40 AM 12/28/01 , you wrote: >I am new to the list; my name is Theresa and my father has Parkinson's. My >mother is the primary caregiver, I try to support both of them. My dad was >diagnosed with PD 4 years ago, but now we know he had it for years before >diagnosed. He does not have a tremor so the diagnosis took some time. At >that time his doctor put him on Sinemet three times a day (25/100), now he >is up to 1150 mg per day (Sinemet reg and Sinemet CR) trying to get relief >from freezing and be able to function. > >I have several questions and would appreciate any and all help! Is this too >much Sinemet to be taking? Twenty min. after taking his dose he begins >having involuntary movement which lasts for about 1/2 hour, and he has to >just sit and wait for the medicine to "kick in" which sometimes it doesn't. >Does there come a time when the Sinemet becomes ineffective? > >He has been given Comtan to try, but has not started it yet. Does anyone >take it, is it helpful? Is it recommended - any tips? > >Thanks so much, >Theresa > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn