Daphne,
There is another possible cause of this terrible change your
husband has experienced. I must stress that the experience
I am about to relate is subjective. I am not aware of any
literature to support the outcome yet it did happen.
You wrote in part:
>he is now taking Sinemet 25/100 at
> 6 , 10, 2 & 1/2 at 6pm. Amantadine at 6 & 10am. One CR 50/200 at
bedtime.
> The psychiatrist has him on 200 mg of Serzone twice a day.
My suggestion is DROP THE AMANTADINE.
Eight years ago, two years after being diagnosed with PD, I reached
the stage where I needed to start taking levadopa. My neurologist
started me on Madopar Q (levadopa 50mg) 3x a day. At that stage
of my PD the result was magical. My body, which had been slowly
filling with lead suddenly surged back to life. I could smile, run, weave
through the crowded pavements downtown. It was like having a
bucket of cold water thrown over me on a hot summers day. A couple
of weeks later my then GP suggested that I could get even better
results if I took Symmetral (Amantadine) as well as the Madopar.
At this remove I cannot recall what dose of Amantadine I was on, but
I can remember the devistating effect it had on my life. All of my new
found gains disappeared, and then I started going backwards. I became
nervous, fearfull and so profoundly depressed that I was past the
thought of suicide (in this context suicide would have been pro-active).
I can remember wishing I was dead, as long as someone else would
take the trouble to kill me. Some part of the normal me functioned
enough to realize what had happened, and I stopped the Amantadine
on the bases of last in first out. Within 24 hours my usual caracter was
restored, and over the last 8 years my PD has progressed in a more
usual pattern.
I discussed this experience with my neurologist, who could not see
any reason why I should have had such a reaction, there being no
reports of similar resullts in the literature. However he fully accepts
that the reaction occured in my case. The similarity of your husbands
experience, and the presence of amantadine in his regime lead me to
think that he may possibly share my reaction.
I warn you ahead of time that you will probably be told that there is
no possible connection between his change of caracter and amantadine.
This may be true but I would think it warrents testing.
Dennis.
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Dennis Greene 47/10
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