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On 07/14/98 Jane asked: > >She wants to know if anyone on the list has had experience taking sinemet >with fosamax and what problems (if any) they had. > >She'd also like any information about managing PD and osteoporosis >together. My husband has been taking Fosamax for over a year. After a bone scan some three years ago, he began taking Didronel for his osteoporosis. This was a tedious regimen involving taking the drug for a short period followed by taking calcium for 3 months without the Didronel. This cycle was continued indefinitely. When Fosamax was approved, he asked to take that instead and has found it to be much more convenient. It also functions more effectively than the Didronel since it prevents the resorption of calcium from the bones that leads to osteoporosis. Bone calcium not only functions to supply the sturdiness of bones, but it is the bank that is drawn upon for the more essential function of calcium in the blood that is needed to allow the heart to beat and muscles to function. Normally, in healthy people with adequate diets, bone calcium is in dynamic exchange with serum calcium. In osteoporosis, more goes out than is replaced and bones become weak. The difficulty with taking Fosamax lies in the timing and restrictions of its intake. The instructions are to take it on an empty stomach with a large amount of water. It is necessary to remain upright for a half hour or so after taking it and to refrain from taking any juice or food or other medications for at least a half hour. The medicine is quite irritating to the esophagus, thus these restrictions to wash it down well and remain upright. Trying to fit this procedure into the schedule of food and meds for someone with advanced PD isn't easy. For Neal it works pretty well if he takes it on arising in the morning. That required half hour before taking other meds passes as he s-l-o-w-l-y gets dressed. Then he takes his first PD meds with orange juice. Others may find a different schedule works best for them. The only problem with his schedule is that once he takes the Fosamax he can't go back to bed no matter how early it is. Does it help? Can't be sure without another bone scan, but his infrequent falls have not broken any bones so far. Fosamax is being promoted for post- menopausal women and there isn't much in the literature about its usefulness for men. Nevertheless, we feel it does help with this man. It is also necessary to include adequate dietary calcium and Vitamins A and D or supplements. The drug alone will not do it all. Your mother's estrogen supplement will also be helpful. As for managing osteoporosis with PD, the worst problem he has is the painful distortion of the spine that becomes exaggerated with dystonia. Martha Rohrer (CG for Neal, 78/13) [log in to unmask]