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Ken Becker <[log in to unmask]> wrote in part: <<<I am the son of a pwp, Max, 79, 8, he is being released tommorow from a rehab/nh facility, after 2 weeks there and one week in a hospital, to be treated for chestpain, he has had prior bypass surgery, a pacemaker, etc. The hospital, for some reason cut his sinimet to about 70% of what he was getting and the NH apparently kept it the same. In the last few weeks he had been getting rather violent when he was upset, actually punching people who were caring for him, now he is more subdued, and may complain, but not get violent. ALSO he is lucid most of the time, not confused, and also has not had any hallucinations, in about two weeks, which he was having previously. THe only other medical changes I know of is being put on Heparin injections, a blood thinner. Would the reduction of Sinimet, and /or the addition of the blood thinner, normally have those effects? HE also picked up a Staph infection in the hospital. This resulted in blisters which broke, leaving raw areas on his skin, they seem to have stopped forming, I am not sure what medication he recieved for this syptom, but I wonder if it could have an effect on his PArkinsons symtoms, good or bad. Anyone out there have any feedback on this situtation? I know my mother will speak to the neurologist about the SInimet, but I thought I would ask the real experts here for an opinion! thanks in advance for any help on this situation.>>>>>>> I would question the possible change in the amount of levodopa AND the scheduling of the medication. You do not state the amount he was taking nor the schedule of how much was taken when. Alan Bonander, Brian Collins, Robert Naylor, and I all believe that the proper medication schedule (and concern about food types and amounts) affect the symptoms reduction as well as the amount of side effects. The best appears to be rate limiting by the method of getting the levodopa into the bloodsstream. Alan Bonander used a modified insulin pump with continuous metered input of dissolved levodopa/carbidopa and other meds directly into the duodenum (if recall is accurate) portion of the small intestine. Having to surgically install and then prepare the solution every day and the other tasks of having such a thing installed is not trivial; but, the results are better than the next-best alternative which is drinking pre-dissolved medications from a daily blended solution that is stirred, then taken hourly in aliqouts (equal portions) throughout the day. -- ron 1936, dz PD 1984 Ridgecrest, California Ronald F. Vetter <[log in to unmask]> http://www.ridgecrest.ca.us/~rfvetter