 |
 |
Adelaide Haas: I have had PD since l986. I started taking Sinemet in l994. For several months I more or less took a total of 150 mg a day usually at l0 a.m - 4 p.m - l0 p.m. Like you this schedule was flexible and titrated to meet heavy demand. Some days I could miss a dose if all I planned to do was read and watch TV and chit chat with friends. I miss the flexibility of that time. About six months after starting Sinemet a mild long standing (since teenage years) Restless Leg Syndrome began worsening from an easily controlled occasional "jumpiness" in my legs at bedtime to a full blown condition which robs me of sleep, rest or relaxation time. I discovered that the times Sinemet is working are the only times I am free from electric shocks and spasms in my legs. I do get relief whilst walking but as soon as I sit down the troubles start again. So now I take 50 mg Sinemet every 3-4 hours day and night. In less than a year I have gone from a comfortable casual Sinemet schedule to a rigid one. I can also detect signs that Sinemet is not going to work for RLS much longer. At this point I can say that PD isn't my biggest problem - RLS is. What a bummer. Barbara Yacos, R.N. <[log in to unmask]>