This is a personal experience with reference to Kathrynne Holden's drug list.
The first PD drugs my wife Aliza took about 14 months ago was :
P.K.Merz {Amantadine Sulfate, 100mg) twice a day, morning & noon.
At that time ,she was also taking Inhibace for her high blood pressure twice
per day, morning & night and a diuretic Miphar(furosemide,40mg) once per day
in the morning.
She had the following reactions:
In addition to extreme swelling of her legs,she developed blotches of blood
under the skin of her hands, arms and legs.It was like a honeycomb of
blotches from her ankles to her thighs, and all along her arms from hands to
upper arm.
She also was having frequent nightmares with body-jerking in her sleep.
After this medication was stopped, her GP put her on Ikapress(Sustained-Release
verapamil HCL) for her high blood pressure with no diuretic, and her
neurologist put her on Dopicar(Carbidopa,25mg and Levodopa 250mg per
tablet): one quarter tablet 3 times per day and Jumex(Deprenyl-Selegiline
HCL 5mg) twice per day,morning and noon.The blotches gradually disappeared
over a period of about
two months,the leg swelling receded and her PD drug side-effects were minimal.
The nightmares have also ceased.
Since her hand tremor and other PD effects are slowly increasing, her
Dopicar dosage was gradually increased to one half tablet once per day and
one-quarter tablet twice per day.She had increased but tolerable
dizzyness,cold perspiration and heart palpitation effects.However when she
was gradually increased to two one half tablets, these effects became
intolerable. Now, she takes one-quarter tablet four times per day with
tolerable side-effects and her PD effects appear to be stabilized.In
addition, she is doing regular PD excercises and is on a macrobiotic-type
diet which appears also to be contributing.
