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I want to thank those who have already responded to my initial questions on
the fact that often 1 to 2 hours after taking her medications Barbara has a
significant drop in Blood Pressure, a loss of speech, loss of animation and
an inabilitty to eat. Several of you have responded that you have experienced
similar effects either with a drop in BP or when taking Permax. Now I am
trying to pin down which it might be - the chicken or the egg.

We know that Sinemet and Permax both have the side effect of driving down
blood pressure. The question may be this: is it the low BP by itself that is
causing the other side effects, or is it the medication that is causing the
loss of speech etc. and the lower BP is merely another indication that the
medication has kicked in ?

Her regimen - which is quite heavy - is Sinemet at 7:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and
5:30 p.m.; 2 Sinemet CR and 2 Permax with meals; 1 Sinemet CR and 2 Permax at
bedtime. Also 1 Eldypryl with breakfast. (She has been reducing the Permax
gradually without noticing any side effects and has already gone from 14/day
to 8/day (.25mg) over a period of several months).

If it is the BP, perhaps something can be done to raise that; if it is the
medication, perhaps something can be done to reduce the impact, such as
changing times to reduce the overlaps, or reducing more of the dosage itself.
What have been your experiences and thoughts on this complex question of
medication regimens?

Allan