I got back on Monday but didn't write here as I was feeling poorly and in a
bad mood. After reading Chuck Miller's message #94 on APDA I thought maybe I
was having trouble with Sinemet. As some of you know I didn't start taking
it until this winter because I reacted badly in 1988 after two days on a very
very low dose of 1/4 tablet the first day - two 1/4 tabs the second day made
me sick - not vomit sick - more like l00 cups of coffee sick - my hair stood
on end and my eyes bugged out and I was super alert with bad startle effect -
and hallucinations - and awful nightmares both nights. I quit - that was
l988. In February of this year I gradually took CR for a month til up to
three a day of 25/l00 which I often cut in half for days at a time. A couple
of weeks ago my usual restless leg syndrome which I had had intermittantly
for l0+ years started to do something that bothered me a lot and it takes a
lot to really get to me - (I am the person who has every PD symptom in the
book). My left leg started to spasm and cramp and my toes turned up and I
could get no relief - for 1/2 hr or more - it started about 20 minutes after
taking a whole CR 25/100 (the new one) or 1/2 that tablet. I was ok for
about 7 hrs and the spasms and cramping started again. I thought maybe I was
waiting too long between doses - BIG mistake - things got much worse when I
shifted. Surely I wasn't taking enough Sinemet long enough to have before
and after dyskinesia?
I read Chuck Miller's message #94 on APDA and decided to cut back from
three CR 25/l00 seven hours apart to two CR 25/100 twice a day twelve hours
apart - l0 a.m. and l0 p.m. -
so far so good but keep your fingers crossed guys. I wasn't on anything else
except Sinemet as I stopped taking Deprenyl about the time I started Sinemet.
I started Sinemet as I have a pretty bad grimace and lower lip and tongue
tremor and Sinemet helps that - and my walking(gait) started to get bad but
Sinemet didn't help a bit - I think it made that worse.
Considering all this I can live with a lip tremor and grimace which is
helped by chewing gum - but that leg spasm was the straw that almost broke
this camel's back.
Liquid Sinemet? Chewing regular Sinemet? Quick fix Cinderella dose?
Those little goodies can never be for someone super sensitive to levadopa.
It is too easy to overdose.
Thanks Chuck Miller - your messages re the pitfalls of Sinemet will help
many of us. Sinemet is too powerful a drug to play around with - Less is
Best.
Regards....Barbara Yacos RN
