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Hello Rick, you wrote: > > I've received a lot of feedback from listmembers about starting out > treatment (46/2 months) with Sinemet (CR 50/200 once a day). My > neuruologist explained it as: let's see if you respond to anti-Parkinson > meds, and a trial course of Sinemet (1 month) is the quickest test route. > If you do, we'll get you off the Sinemet and onto other meds more > appropriate for your age and level of disease. > > My question, in response to cautionary advice, is: will one month's worth > of Sinemet have significant negative effects? Should I go back to the neuro >asap and say Hey! Let's go another route NOW. The neuro-suggested course--a > 1-month test--makes sense to me, but I am listening to advice from this > wonderful group with wide-open ears and a commitment to my own well-being. > > Meanwhile, thanks for the info on finding a MDS. I have good leads in the > Seattle area. > > Best, > > Rick > Bellingham, WA > where the crocuses are up I have had quite a few chuckles at the fear and trembling that a lot of neuros seem to instill into their patients regarding the use of levodopa in the early years, but lately it seems to be getting beyond a joke. I won't go into the detail of why I say that; the two posts which I have recently issued make my reasons clear(I hope). I can back up my statements with my personal experience: I was diagnosed in 1979, and after 1 year on Artane (pretty useless) I went on to Sinemet, and I have used Sinemet (or its equivalent Madopar) ever since. And I am still doing well on it. I don't want to decry the usefulness of the Dopamine agonists - they are an essential part of my intake. I have used bromocryptine (When it was the only choice available) - Bad side-effects in my case; I went back to just Sinemet for a few years, until Permax came along. It has been excellent for me, and I continue to use it. My point is, don't fear the Sinemet. It is the most powerful drug available to you. It has fewer side effects than the agonists. (That's a controversial one - I do not accept dyskinesias or off periods as side effects, they are really punishment for getting the dosage wrong.) And most of all, remember that people do NOT come calibrated in packages according to the various sizes of tablet on the market. You must be prepared to break them down into smaller doses if necessary. (I take one and a half of the smallest dosage tablet available (50 gm of levodopa per tablet, because that is the way to get the precision that I need. ( Not only that: you should see the look on the pharmacist's face when I go in with a 3-month prescription for 2,200 Madopar dispersible 62.5 tablets !!) Here is an entry for the most useless competition in the world: in the last 20 years, I reckon I have taken about 100,000 tablets, and in the next 10 years, I will probably take another 100,000. Any higher claims? Regards, -- Brian Collins <[log in to unmask]>