 |
 |
My subconscious "stews" about issues that bother me sometimes. Perhaps I have learned to brainstorm by myself instead of in meetings as we did when I worked for pay. More to the point, dystonia in the form of foot-leg cramps is painful. In reading some traffic on some of the medical newsgroups as well as here, I find my cognitiveself wondering if there is not a possible causal factor for some of these lower extremity restless legs, cramps, et cetera muscle problems in the amount of blood coursing in the brain. Pat Schark (if memory is accurate) advised that she got relief from exercise position of head low and legs high. I tried this in doing what I used to call bicycling (head and shoulders o floor and elbows with hands holding hips - then move legs as though riding a unicycle or bicycle or tricycle). It seems to work. Many have recomended waalking, deep knee bends, numerous activities that should raise blood pressure - blood flow - for restless legs. The l-dopa reduction of blood pressure may be most occurring as the dosage is minimally effective - at least for me - and that is when the dystonia occurs. It used to be only in the early morning before I got my first fix of the stuff. It has come on recently if I do not get full effect of one of my half-25/250 pills, or forget to take the second half in mid-morn or mid-aft or mid-evening. Any data regarding blood pressure and flow related to long-term l-dopers who may have worn a pressure and pulse monitor through ON and OFF periods would be of interest to me. The dystonia newsgroup info seems to have many responsive to l-dopa cases as well as others not affected. I may be inaccurate, but there sees to be the category of ideopathic dystonia and another of secondary- or drug-induced- dystonia. Psychoactive drugs are not likely to affect the muscles, so that category of dystonia may be what we get from long term use of l-dopa in that our brains develop a need for higher levels of it than normal. It might be that the balance of autonomic neurotransitters is goofed up and does not call for more blood flow. Another possibility that seems to fit the data for me is a lack of neurotransmitter needed to let the part of the motor neurons system know that the muscles are tensioned (sometimes both sets that move the toes up and down, etc.) to the point of pain and cramping. Id est, the feed-back loop may be sub-functional. This is sort of the valley while the dyskinesia is the peak effect of the amount of l-dopa/dopamine in the striatum. Comments are requested. I think I will borrow a blood pressure apparatue from a friend to gather a little data. If others with painful dystonia or RLS "stand on your heads" and find relief, please let us know. Ron <[log in to unmask]> Ronald Vetter