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^^^^^^WARM GREETINGS FROM^^^^^^^^^^ Ivan Suzman 48/10 [log in to unmask] Portland, Maine land of lighthouses 35 deg. F *********************************************************** On Mon, 24 Nov 1997 11:45:03 -0500 "L.M. Jenkins" <[log in to unmask]> writes: >> What kinds of symptoms does you Dad have? Is he taking medications? >> >>IVAN > > >My Dad was recently diagnosed after getting continuing tremors in his >arms. He stoops, and has difficulty picking his feet up, getting out >of >chairs and out of bed. He started to worry when he seemed to slow down >in >all of his movements. > >He's just started his first set of medication, and has been prescribed >Sinemet. So far, it seems to be helping and giving him more mobility. >Has >anyone used this medicine before? Are there any side-effects to this >medicine? > >Many Thanks for all of your help, > >Lee > Lee, Sinemet (meaning "without vomiting") is THE standard medicine for PD. It comes in two forms, a quick-acting tablet, and a football-shaped, slower, CR (constant release) tablet. It consists of a combination of carbi-dopa (dihydroxyphenylalanine) and levodopa. Various tablets have different ratios of carbidopa to levodopa. For example, Sinemet 25/100 is 25 mg of levodopa per tablet/ 100 mg. of levodopa. Carbidopa is needed to protect levodopa from breaking down until after it crosses into the brain (through the blood-brain barrier). The levodopa breaks down to dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is the absent or deficient or possibly, secreted but unused neurotransmitter that PWP's (people with parkinson's) need. The side effects vary from one PWP to another. In me, they are sweating and dryness of all of my mucous membranes. Too little dopamine is characterized by the SLOOOOOOW and painful movements you describe in your dad. THis is called bradykinesia. Too much movement, usually caused by an oversupply of dopamine, is "dyskinesia." I am not a neurobiologist--this is a layman's description--hope it helps you. Good Luck IVAN