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Barbara, You have to be careful with Ritalen. Fuad was taking Ritalen when he had his stroke. The doctors feel that it may have been a contributing factor. Is it really worth the risk. Also, try a sleep disorder specialist first. You might have sleep apnea.(sp?) because of the lose of muscle control in the throat. Barb Barbara Mallut wrote: > David M... > > David, if your really-important-meeting (as opposed to the > average-general-not-so-important-meetings) isn't till November, that > gives ya > a few months see if the there are any medical or other alternatives > available > that'll keep ya awake throughout that meeting. > > The first thing I'd do if'n I was in your shoes (errrrr.. I guess I > already > AM, so to speak, huh?!) <rueful smile> is get my MD to cooperate in > helping to > keep me awake. > > In my own case, I recently asked the new neuro I went to at Kaiser to > prescribe Ritalin - which HAS worked for some of our List-friends. > Since his > response to my request was "I don't believe in Ritalin," (Doesn't > "believe" > in the drug itself or just for a PWP? Never could get him to respond > to THAT. > He just doesn't "believe!") <&@#^% on all closed-minded MDs!> > > I've gotta appointment towards the end of Sept. with my primary Kaiser > > physician (an internist) in order to ask HIM for a RX for Ritalin. > Since he's > usually cooperative when it comes to my PD-related requests, if I can > get the > drug from him (and I'm expecting to) , I'll report to the List any > positive/negative results. > > Over the past coupla-three years the drowsiness has been SO disruptive > to my > social life, that I found I was beginning to avoid going out with > friends or > on dates because of the embarrassment of falling asleep in public. > Since I > just HATE to give into this steeeeenkin' disease, I began to > experiment with > whatever was at hand in my medicine cabinet, hence the Viviran > (caffeine) and > additional Sinemet combo. > > I'm going to push to get that Ritalin,. but if THAT doesn't work after > a > reasonable test period of a few weeks, I'm going to push Kaiser to > permit me > to see whatever type of specialist handles patients with narcolepsy > (sleeping > sickness), because this profound drowsiness is surely as disruptive to > MY life > as THAT disease is to those who suffer from it. > > Barb Mallut > [log in to unmask] > > ---------- > From: Parkinson's Information Exchange on behalf of David Moreland > Sent: Saturday, August 16, 1997 9:34 PM > To: Multiple recipients of list PARKINSN > Subject: Re: drowsiness > > At 11:56 PM 8/16/97 -0400, you wrote: > >Drowsiness happens to be one of the most aggravating and frustrating > PD > >symptoms I deal with each day. IF I'm very busy physically, it can > be > >forgotten about. However, if I'm relaxed.... sitting talking with > someone or > >am at the keyboard, well, I begin to feel myself drift in and out of > deep > >sleep. > > > >GAWD! THIS DRIVES ME CRAZY!!!!!! It's SO embarrassing to fall > asleep while > >sitting on the sofa and talking with someone, or to doze off while a > passenger > >in a car! > > > >I noticed that at about the time the drowsiness first strikes me each > day > - at > >3:50 p.m. (not 4 p.m. - but 3:50!) <weird!>, my feet and ankles > become > >icy-cold (even tho the weather here might top 100 degrees I still get > that > >icy-feet-thinggee!). If I immediately lie down and put a heating pad > on my > >feet, while dozing for 45 minutes or an hour, I can usually cut the > time I'm > >so drowsy down from it's regular 3 or 4 hours. However, if I try to > work > >thru that down-time, it easily takes me that full 4 hours to once > again feel > >fully awake. > > > >What's even stranger about this is I have been getting a full nite's > sleep > >for about 5 or 6 months now due to FINALLY biting the bullet and > taking a > >sleeping pill before bed each nite. (FYI... I'm taking the generic > of > >Restoril," and while I initially began taking an entire capsule, per > the > >directions, I now open each one and empty OUT slightly more than > 1/2. THAT > >works just as well for me!). Yet I STILL become profoundly tired > almost > every > >day! > > > >AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!! <--- Barb has a tizzy-fit in exasperation!) > > > > >Barb Mallut > >[log in to unmask] > > > >---------- > >From: Parkinson's Information Exchange on behalf of Albert Young > >Sent: Saturday, August 16, 1997 7:34 PM > >To: Multiple recipients of list PARKINSN > >Subject: Re: drowsiness > > > >On Sat, 16 Aug 1997, "John F. Mccabe" <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > >>David, > >> > >>I am currently taking Amantadine and Mirapex and also experience > drowsiness. > >>I have fallen asleep in church, at dinner parties, at the movies, at > support > >>group meetings, etc. > >John, > > have no answers but sure can empathize with your sleeping > problem. > If > >I'm active, OK, but if I sit down, forget it. It's onset is so > rapid. In > >public, it's an embarrassment, in private, a nuisance, especially > when riding > >a > >lawn mower or sitting at the computer. > > > >As you, I feel it's the meds. I take 200mg Amantadine, 4 - 25/100 > Sinemet > >daily (Mirapax didn't work for me, unfortunately). > > > >Joe Young (65/5). > > > You mean there's nothing that can be done about it short of taking a > maga > dose of NO-DOZ, and I don't want to do that. I think the best approach > is > to inform the other people at the meeting that I might be in and out > due to > PD medications. Then have a Dr.Pepper just prior to the meeting. > > Its just that there are meetings scheduled in November where there > will be > representatives from all the Major Cellular Telephone companies to > come up > with the best way to value them. I am the appraiser who does all the > Cellulars each year for the Department of Revenue. Those are the > metings > that I am most concerned about. > Yours and His > David L. Moreland > [log in to unmask] > http://www.teleport.com/~davelm