On Mon 07 Oct, Delfeld, Kristin wrote:
> Hello to all. This afternoon I'm again writing on behalf of my father (68,
> 3mos.), who is not yet "on-line". His main symptom, as you may recall, is
> hand tremor, enough to make him uncomfortable. He has had the following
> daily meds, which he takes in the morning:
>
> a. 10mg. Eldepryl -> now only 5mg.
> b. 100mg. Amantadine for 2 weeks, -> then 200mg./day (doctors
> recommendation), now back to 100mg./day
>
> His results (while taking 5mg. Eldepryl daily):
>
> After taking 100mg. Amantadine for 1-2 weeks, he had amazing results! The
> tremor almost disappeared! However, when he upped the dose to 200 mg., he
> started to notice his tremor slowly coming back. So, after a few weeks at
> 200mg., he dropped the dose to 100mg. to see if he was overmedicated.
>
> Still,... no difference. At 100mg. the tremor is back. Changing from 200mg.
> to 100mg. made no difference. The tremor is at the same intensity whether
> he's at 200mg. or 100mg. He does admit the Amantadine works a little, as
> the tremor is better now than it was when he was taking only Eldepryl.
>
> He has tried to modify all variables: taking meds before, then after
> breakfast. No change. He is quite frustrated. I suggested he temporarily
> stop taking Eldepryl, as it can be known to cause tremor. We'll see what
> happens. He stopped taking the Eldepryl today.
>
> Has anyone had a similar experience with Amantadine (or other tremor
> reducing meds. for that matter)? Any suggestions? I'll pass everything on
> to Dad.
> Kristin Delfeld, the frustrated daughter from Boston & Wisconsin :-)
===============================
Hello Kristin
My handy reference book has this to say about amantadine: "May be useful in the
early mildly afflicted patient, but often loses its effect after 3 to 12 months."
I think that sums up your father's experience quite well. Amantadine is considered
rather old-fashioned these days and is not used much. (How old is your doctor?).
What to do next? Well, if you have been reading the list postings recently you may
have seen me advocating early use of levodopa, and your father looks to me like
an ideal candidate. We all know that there will come a time when the levodopa will
be ineffective, but the same goes for all the other drugs as well, and the
potential side-effects of some of these alternative drugs are pretty scary. Slight
nausea aside (some people get this), levodopa has no side effects.
You may also have seen that I am not in favour of Eldepryl, so I am pleased to see
that he is giving it up. Did you know that one of the chemicals produced as it
is progressively degraded and processed in the brain is Amphetamine ('speed').
- If he feels the loss of Eldepryl it is probably withdrawal symptoms !)
Hope this helps,
Regards Brian Collins
--
Brian Collins <[log in to unmask]
