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For Peter Flintermann: You ask the question about meals and liquid sinemet. This is a problem for most people using LS. The reason for the problem is the general short staying power of LS. For most people the use of LS is at most at hourly intervals. Squeezing in a meal and allowing for the stomach to empty in this time frame is almost impossible. It is known that the pylorus, which controls the emptying of the stomach, will open some 30 to 90 minutes after a meal. That wide a margin is unacceptable for those on LS. The other problem is the possibility of bread and other food stuff might absorb the LS and move it through the digestive track without releasing it. I feel this is what happens to me. It may not be bread, but food in general somehow absorbing the LS or at least diluting it in such a way as to render the medication useless. Now LS can be taken at close as maybe 5 minutes before a meal. It mush be taken on an empty stomach. The LS will get through the pylorus and into the intestine where it will be properly absorbed. This, however, is not the main issue. The problem comes with the after meal dose. This would be given on a full stomach and maybe just lost. This is what I do. I learned this from a friend at a support meeting. What was suggested was to add 1/2 of a 10/100 regular with the first food of lunch and a full 10/100 regular with the first food in the evening. These pills should be chewed or crushed to speed the benefit. Now I do not do this every day. I only do this when (a) the meal is high in protein and/or (b) it is important that I not have a down time after the meal. Some times I will over medicate, sometimes under medicate but most of the time I will be on through the meal and the following 3 or 4 hours after the meal. I must add two things (a) I continue to take normal medications through this time and (b) I am currently taking about 800 mg of levodopa daily. People taking substantially less should adjust these kicker-patch meds downward. Finally, you mentioned the unmentionable in relation to liquid sinemet: Sinemet CR. In my world of a narrow therapeutic region, the use of Sinemet CR is toxic to my system, my life and my well being. I wish they had never manufactured it. The use of CR is assured of producing one of three conditions: 1-under medication, 2-therapeutic region, 3-over medication. Now comes the killer -- it can keep one in one of these states for 2 - 4 hours. That is where, for me, it damages my neurons. My therapeutic window is very narrow. The probability of (2) happening is almost 0. That almost assures me 1 or 3 -- neither of which I will tolerate. The result is if I think I am under mediated, I will sip LS and when it does hit me, I will be in gut wrenching dyskinesia. I find Sinemet CR to be highly toxic to my system. The thought of mixing Liquid Sinemet and Sinemet CR brings pain to my system. Now someone out there will say they are very successful doing just this. I will almost bet they are always under medicated or their therapeutic window is wide and the use of LS is unwarranted. I want you to know I am very shy when I talk about this, much like a mother seeing her young child playing with matches in a dynamite shed. Enough said on that. Regards, Alan Bonander Age 55, Diag 11 yrs, liquid meds, pallidotomy [log in to unmask] San Francisco area (San Ramon, CA)