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On Mon 20 Apr, Janet313 wrote: > hi siblings > > i need some advice > or maybe just some 'i've been there and done that' contact > > i'm intrigued by the tolcapone possibilities; > however, i would like to get this current sinemet question sorted out > before i start mixing any other new ingredients > into my brain's chemical cocktail > > any ideas/experience out there > with 'generic sinemet' vs 'brand name sinemet'? > > janet > > janet paterson > 51/10 - sinemet/selegiline/prozac > almonte/ontario/canada - [log in to unmask] > > > Hello Janet, I didn't answer your initial call for help, as I was working on my Living with Levodopa paper, and I expected that someone else would cover anything I might say. However they didn't and so I am putting in my comments rather late. The only thing that I can come up with on the Generic drug issue is that a long time ago, I remember someone quoting the specifications controlling the levodopa content in generic Sinemet, and the number was amazing (I don't trust my memory enough to be dogmatic about it, but I think the tolerance was + or - 20% !!) This alone could be the cause of your problem. On the more general subject of your meds, I have a suggestion which is simple for you to try, and has been tried and tested (by Me !) . At 12 years with PD ( 9 years ago), I was in a very similar position to you, and had evolved almost the same strategy to meet it: You take 1/2 a Sinemet10/100 every 90 mins (= 33 mg/hour) and I used to take 1 and 1/2 Madopar 12.5/50 every 2 hours (= 37.5 mg/hr). So where do we go from here? What I did, and what I would recommend to you, is to introduce a Dopamine agonist. The only available one 9 yrs ago was Pergolide (or Permax) so I used it. It was fine for me, and I have continued along the same lines: I still take 1 & 1/2 mg of Levodopa 12.5/50 every 2 hours, but as PD progresses, I have increased my dosage of Permax - currently at 3.5 mg per day. As the time has gone by, this strategy has provided me with a near-constant outward appearance, and I would recommend it to anyone as the best method of spinning out the meds to make them last as long as possible. I hope you feel able to try this method. (Any of the current agonists should do, because in this context, I believe that they are all very similar). It is the potential for side-effects which cannot be predicted that makes one agonist different to another. Regards, -- Brian Collins <[log in to unmask]>