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At 22:04 97/07/08 -0500, you wrote: >the problem has been getting worse for a while... >I started adding Sinemet... >trying to cover for my PD getting worse... >I ran out of "Wild Yam " (Estrogen) Cream... donna you've touched on something that has been becoming a significant problem for me. i hope you don't mind my responding to your private message via the list; i think this is important for everyone. in the past couple of years, several list members have made comments in re hormones and pd, particularly the swings in female hormones during menstrual cycles or menopause. although the dramatic effect [on either the symptoms or the efficacy of the levodopa - i still am not sure which is the real problem] has been acknowledged for several years by some of the 'powers that be', there has not been any research into the situation. anecdotal evidence doesn't seem to count for much. i've been trying to track my own symptoms for the past couple of years, since i appear to be going into menopause; whatever regular cycle i had, has now become highly erratic. my impression is that if my estrogen hormone level rises quickly, then my meds become virtually useless, as if i had taken an aspirin instead of sinemet. this has become increasingly noticeable, both during menses and during ovulation. my normal levodopa schedule is 1/2 sinemet 100/10 every 90 minutes; this 'thin but frequent' coverage normally results in 90% 'on' time for me, although it can be affected by food/protein intake. however, when estrogen is riding high on its roller coaster, i have been known to take 1/2 sinemet every 30 minutes for as long as 3 or 4 hours, with my 'off' condition unrelieved until the end of that stretch of time, and with no dyskinesia indicating overdose. these days, i'm dealing with two-three days twice per 'cycle' where i might have only a few hours of 'on' time during the whole day. even then, the 'on' time can sometimes be 'half-hearted' and inconsistent. my impression has also been that estrogen supplements can reduce the levodopa efficacy; one of the reasons i have been resisting considering hormone replacement therapy. i figure, if i managed to get through puberty, i can get through this; with the 'bonus' of no more estrogen/levodopa problems on the other side. to get back to your situation, i've started to wonder whether the estrogen cream you've been using has effectively caused you to think you need more levodopa than you really do. and that as soon as you stopped using the cream, and maintained the same levodopa intake, you essentially became 'overdosed'. adding even more sinemet would only make things worse - hence all that dyskinesia. i will be very interested to hear your response. any input from other list members would also be most welcome. all the best janet [log in to unmask]