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Janet, Thanks for your data on all the new drugs. One of the new drugs mentioned in your report is Ropinerole which I have been trying. For those who are interested in this drug, this is how I have found it. BACKGROUND: The type of PD I have is of the Bradykinesic variety - slow movement and difficulty in writing. I have never had standing tremor. Since ceasing Eldepryl 18 months ago, I have had to increase my Sinemet CR 200/50 from twice a day to three times a day. The Sinemet CR worked well enough except for a "GAP" which appeared between the morning Sinemet and the midday Sinemet. I found that the morning CR was going off at anything between 3 hours and 3hrs 45 mins after taking it. 3 hours 30 mins was average. The fact that the midday CR was then taking about an hour or more to kick in, meant that it was making a bit of a mess of a vital part of the day. I started Ropinerole at 0.25mg three times daily and built slowly to 1 mg 3 times daily after about 4 weeks, but was still not getting any noticeable effect from it at all. As I was not withdrawing from any other drug to go on Ropinerole, but simply adding it to the Sinemet, I was pretty disappointed at this. (There was maybe even a slight adverse effect on the symptoms, but perhaps this was my frustration)) I was between visits to my Neuro and was thinking of booking an extra consultation, when I happened to have a chat on the phone with a Professor of Neurology specialising on PD research. During our chat, he asked me how I was getting on and what I was taking. I told him that I had started Ropinerole and was now on 1mg 3 times daily. Without me saying a word of how I was doing on it, and without hesitation, he said, "Not enough! Lift it to 2mg 3 times daily. Taken at low doses below 2mg, it actually shuts down dopamine cells. Many people don't realise this and give up on it too early." So, I returned to my doctor, got the prescription, and started increasing very slowly from 1mg x3. Up to 1.5mg x 3 no noticeable effect. At 1.75mg x 3, I thought I detected improvement. 2mg x 3: Jackpot! The midday "off" gap disappeared. 27 days later - STILL NO MIDDAY "OFF" GAP. In the 27 days since reaching 2mg x3 I have: 1. Managed on several occasions to delay the midday CR tablet by half an hour, so that I was leaving 4 and a half hours between morning and midday tablet - and still getting no "off" gap. 2. Left a gap of 4 and a half to 5 hours between midday and evening CR without an off. 3. I have also halved the evening Sinemet dose from a Sinemet CR 200/50 to a 100/25 CR, and have still had my evening "on" last up to 7 hours. (average 6 hours) I used to only get 4-5, (occasionally 6 hours) on a FULL CR! Once, I tried halving the midday dose of CR - No problems, still no gap. I am thinking to try this again, but have been reluctant to mess about too much as we have been a bit busy lately. Also, the mild end of dose dyskinesia I used to get at the end of the evening (right foot wanting to wriggle around) seems to have disappeared. I have been taking the Sinemet 40 mins pre meals as usual, but the Requip AFTER meals. This means the REQUIP follows the Sinemet by 1-2 hours. My reasoning is that by staggering the Sinemet and REQUIP like this, it fills the gap. It certainly works. I would be interested in how others on Ropinerole are taking it. Adverse symptoms? None at all to date. There was a slight effect I noticed for a couple of weeks, mainly in the evenings. My affected arm would twitch slightly as if it was getting dyskinesic. It wouldn't actually move, nobody would notice, but I could feel it. I did not worry too much, because the REQUIP leaflet listed some "transient involuntary movements" as a side effect. They ceased after a couple of weeks, especially after reducing the evening Sinemet dose, and I cannot say I have had any other side effects at all. I hope this is encouraging to those who may have have found Mirapex a disappointment. Ernie. 54/3.8 Ernie Peters <[log in to unmask]>