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>Hi Folks, > >I'm brand new to this List, and have just received the Algorithm for >Managing Parkinson's Disease and the Caregiver's Handbook, and have perused >a few days' worth of email messages. I'm a caregiver for my sweetie Mike, >who is 56 and has had Parkinson's for 15 years. (I'm sending this message >for him and at his request.) > >He's been on Sinemet since the beginning, and is now on a pill schedule of >Sinemet and Permax. In May, his Parkinson's doc observed that his >dyskinesias were getting rather severe, and suggested that the Sinemet was >maybe now causing more trouble than it's benefit. He recommended a gradual >changeover to a schedule of Permax and Amantidine. Mike is apprehensive >about quitting the Sinemet, since he believes that it is what enables him >to move, so he has not made the change. The doctor renewed his >recommendation in August. He doesn't say much about what Mike might >anticipate experiencing on the new pill schedule, apart from acknowledging >that he might be slower. Does anybody out there have any real-life >experience on Amantidine, or the combination of Permax and Amantidine? It >would be helpful to have more information on which Mike can make his >decision. > >Cheers, > >Mary > >Mary - I was diagnosed with PD a year ago - > >Currently I am taking Eldepryl and Amantadine - both twice daily - compared to other postings I have read - my symptoms are relatatively mild - the Amantadine seems to do the trick - EXCEPT when I allow my life to become cluttered with stress - then the hand tremors return. I have learned within the last few months that it does matter when you take your medicine. For me it is not the time of day that matters - it just must be the same time each time each day. But that is probably the case with most meds. Christine Anne Sutter >[log in to unmask] >Hilton Head Island, SC, USA