 |
 |
Dr. Cheryl Waters: I have a combination of RLS/PD and because misery likes company I have heard from others in this predicament - two diseases in which we don't know the cause or cure. Treatment leaves a lot to be desired as well. Some patients in our club are satisfied with treatment they have received from you. A working combination of Sinemet and Permax. Would you tell us your recipe - all disclaimers included of course. We know (but find it hard to believe) that Parkinson's Disease and Restless Legs Syndrome are not related but do share some drug treatment (Sinemet and Permax and bromocriptine). Doesn't this tell us something? PD patients have a lack of dopamine in their brains and get some relief of PD symptoms by taking Sinemet. Patients with RLS don't lack dopamine in their brains but are relieved by taking Sinemet. Go figure! I joined the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation last year and receive the newsletter The Night Walkers. Many drugs have been tried for relief of the "twitching horrors" of RLS but so far Sinemet is the drug most used. This is troubling because Sinemet has a rebound effect in RLS and symptoms are soon not only presenting in the evening or bedtime, but in the morning as well. Your comments would be appreciated. I wish we had stuck with the original name - Ekbom's Syndrome - named after the Swedish neurologist K.A. Ekbom who did studies of this affliction in 1944. Maybe the medical community would take it seriously. I know of two doctors who have RLS and they take the disease very seriously indeed. Regards, Barbara Yacos, R.N. <[log in to unmask]>