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Hi Jeannine & Janet; Jeannine sent Janet this post: >Subj: Parkinson Disease > Date: 98-07-12 02:23:15 EDT > From: [log in to unmask] (jeannine) > To: [log in to unmask] > >hi, I have been trying to talk to another parkinson patient for some >time! > > I keep trying to chat on PWP chat but noone ever seems to be there. > > I have had PD for 22 years, i am now 54 years old and have taken > every known medicine for PD. I have some questions i would like > to ask you or any other patient with it is related to the drug > Tasmar. If interested please contact me or pass this onto another. > Thanks, > Jeannine C. Wallace ********************************************************** hi jeanine! have you joined the parkinson mailing list on-line? i will assume not, so get yourself ready - i am copying your message to the 'pd list' - an on-line 'cyber-family' of 1600 parkies worldwide and fully expect that you'll have lots and lots of replies in a flash! if you want to join the mailing list let me know and i'll send instructions in the meantime, if you have web access go to my web-page at: http://www.newcountry.nu/pd/members/janet/index.htm and hop on the 'people with parkinson's web ring'! in re tasmar i haven't tried it yet, but several of our list-members have with mixed results there is a wealth of information about tasmar in our list-archives, which i will look into for you i am 51, and have had pd for less than half the time you have i salute you and welcome you to the best of the internet! the past three years with this cyber-family have been the brightest of my life janet ***************************************************** then janet wrote to the ParkinsnList: hi all: jeanine sent me this message and i am copying it to you all i assume she is not a list member, so if you post a reply please send a copy to jeanine directly as well [if you can - otherwise i will] janet ************************************************* Jeannine, here is a copy of a post I sent Brian Collins....... Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 02:25:43 -0700 Send reply to: [log in to unmask] From: MURRAY _CHARTERS <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: TASMAR UPDATES PLEASE To: Multiple recipients of list PARKINSN <[log in to unmask]> Hi Brian, you wrote............ > Please could you tell me how your medication are performing. > How many tablets you are taking. > Are you getting any side affects. > Have you reduced you intake of Ledopa. > Or any thing else you may have to say. > By the way Tasmar costs $366 Australian.It may be on Gov med list in > Oct this year for $3.20. > Yours inantisapation Brian England. > Brian, I take a 200mg. Tasmar tablet and a 50/200 Sinemet CR at 6:00AM, at 12:00 Noon, and at 6:00PM. For myself Tasmar produces a very smooth ride with few perceptible on's and off's. I only feel off when I first get up in the morning or when I forget to take my meds and run over a few hours. The only side effects I experience are: occasional nausea 1 to 2 hours after my 6:00AM initial meds (probably the Sinemet) darkened urine (the Tasmar) loose stools (the Tasmar) a plus! Brian, initially I did reduce the Sinemet but now (15 mo. later) I am pretty much back where I was and it seems to be correct. I still work full time. We just vacationed in California and I got the experience of real freeway traffic stress and the meds did not let me down. Tasmar is about $350.00 / 100 tablets here as well and will soon be added to the formulary lists as an approved-for-reimbursement medication in B.C. Canada. Best regards..............Murray [log in to unmask] ************************************************** Jeannine, here is another post, similar subject......... To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: TASMAR & Liver Assessments Date sent: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 18:40:05 -0700 Hi Margaret & Helen & All Interested Fellow Tasmar Takers; Margaret, you wrote: > Hello Fellow Tasmar takers, > > Yesterday I visited my neuro doc and we decided that I would try > taking this drug. He immediately wrote an Rx for a full liver > function test. He wants to review the results PRIOR to my taking the > drug. The test is to be continued on a monthly schedule for 6 > months. Since, tolcapone is absorbed by the small intestine and > metabolized by the liver, there seems to be relevance for taking > this precaution. > > I reviewed the many posts relating to this drug, and did not see > anyone mentioning this 'inconvenience'. I checked some of the > literature and found that a small number of patients may develop > raised levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartane > aminotransferase (AST) between 6-12 weeks after the start of > treatment. In those cases where the subjects stopped their > treatment, the levels returned to normal within 2-4 weeks of > discontinuing treatment without any other hepatic adverse effects > being observed. In patients who continued tocapone treatment, liver > enzyme abnormalities resolved spontaneously without sequelae (morbid > condition following as a consequence). More patients developed > elevated ALT levels than AST levels. The reason for this phenomenon > is not known, and no obvious differences were seen between patients > with or without elevated transaminases in terms of previous or > concomitant medical conditions or medications. > > The preceeding is paraphrasing sections of an article in Neurology > 49, September 1997, p. 665-670, written by C.H. Waters, MD: M. > Kurth, MD; et al > > Does anyone have the insert that comes with the medication? Can you > please check it? I do not mean to alarm anyone, but this may be > important info. > > Thanks, > Margaret > > > > [log in to unmask] > DOB: 1941/Dx: 1980/Cured:ASAP > Slogans wont do it/Hard work will > I believe this is very important info and that anyone on Tasmar (and their prescribing professional) should be aware of this info. Sorry I gave you a quick and dirty answer yesterday............ >You can also look at the Tasmar Prescribing information at: >http://www.parkinsonsdisease.com/pcp/tasmarpi.htm but I was in a big rush and did not have the printed info at my fingertips. Since then I looked for the monograph that comes with the bottle but I must have misplaced it or maybe it got thrown out. I'm certain that it contains a similar precaution to the one at the above web site. (It is recommended that liver transaminases be monitored when starting Tasmar treatment and monthly for the first six months. Treatment should be discontinued if ALT exceeds five times the upper limit of normal or if clinical jaundice develops.) and further (Patients with severe liver impairment and severe renal impairment ((creatinine clearance <30ml/min)) should be treated with caution.) I was part of a one year tolcapone (Tasmar) study from Feb. 9 / 97 to Feb. 9 / 98 and that study included a series of "clinical laboratory tests" (read "blood tests") starting with a pre-study liver assessment and continuing as week 4; week 8; week 12; etc. for 6 months and month 9 and month 12. Since this was a standard used during the double blind research study it seems logical this would also be a standard for later prescribed drug usage. The Tasmar Prescribing Information, at the aforementioned web site, is provided by the manufacturer F. Hoffman LaRoche. I posted the URL's for F.Hoffman LaRoche in an earlier post on March 9th. 98 > I was looking for some info on Tasmar / tolcapone and Roche Canada > is the maker here. This search, focussed on the roche group of > companies, got me all I wanted and more. I found out that Roche > Canada has a website under development and one thread led to another > to give me the F. Hoffman-LaRoche sponsored site at: >http://www.parkinsonsdisease.com/onsite/whatnew0.htm >I found Tasmar Prescribing Information (interesting reading) at: >http://www.parkinsonsdisease.com/pcp/tasmarpi.htm >and COMT inhibitors etc. >I also found exactly what I had been looking for in response to Ellen >Peck's posting and how to contact the maker of tolcapone. >Hoffman-LaRoche has a website form you can fill out with requests for >information and they will e-mail you a reply. >Ellen, the form is at: >http://www.roche.com/pharma/Contact.htm I hope this answers your questions Margaret. Best regards.................................Murray 53/4 Vancouver, B.C. Canada . And I hope you find this helpful Jeannine!! All the best .................. (ask anything anytime) Murray 53/4 [log in to unmask]