>
> His main struggles are as follows:
> 1. Severe lack of sleep. He has trouble falling asleep, many nights staying
> awake until 3-4am, then sleeping only for 2-3 hours and waking up again.
> After taking meds, he can sometimes get another 1-2 hour nap in the morning.
>
> 2. Tremors - first was only in left leg, then left side, now left side is so
> shaky that it shakes his right side as well.
>
> 3. "Freezing" - he says it's like trying to walk through wet cement. This
> usually happens before it's time for his next medication, but now seems to be
> coming on earlier, so he can hardly move.
>
> 4. Loss of muscle tone - he's not nearly as strong as he used to be, and the
> combination of this and the tremors makes even simple tasks take much longer
> than they used to. Also, fatigue is common now as it takes so much more
> effort to accomplish something.
>
> 5. This week he could not drive himself home one night due to the tremors,
> weakness and "freezing". Today I helped him put on his socks and shoes
> because it was just too difficult for him to do it - seems like it would have
>
> He is taking:
> Sinemet 100 levodopa/25 carbidopa 6x/day,
> Sinemet CR 25/100 (time release) 1x/day (in evening)
> Propranolol Hydrochloride 80mg 1x/day,
> Amantadine 100mg 2x/day
> Benedryl at night to clear nasal passages and help him sleep (supposedly)
>
Dear Nathan,
Everyone is different, so please understand that I am not
suggesting a medication change for your father--I'm just relaying
personal experience.
You don't say why your Dad is on Propranolol. My husband has
severe hypertension. Propranolol caused a remarkable increase in his PD
symptoms and it was necessary to find another beta-blocker to
re-establish his equilibrium. We have found that Lopressor has worked
very well for him--the only problem is that Sinemet interacts with this
drug to cause slight psychosis. Jamie doesn't require Sinemet to get
through his entire day (he hates the "off" time), so he takes the med
after he comes home from work--when adverse symptoms don't make much
difference.
Jamie also has found that taking an increased dose of Sinemet
(50/250) allows him to sleep well through the night and lasts longer,
even when broken in half, than Sinemet at lower doses or the CR med.
On/off symptoms that occur just before the onset of Sinemet and
while the drug is wearing off are side effects that any PD person or care
giver is familiar with. Lots of people have posted on how they deal with
this problem, so I hope you continue to keep on eye on this list for
suggestions. If your Dad is having trouble with driving, perhaps it's
time that someone took over that task for him. It would be dangerous for
him to freeze while driving on a highway somewhere.
Hope that this helps, and good luck.
-----
Mary Ann Ryan
Zippo's mom
