On Sun 06 Sep, EDWARD B KEITH wrote:
> I have on this list before and there was so much e-mail I had to get off
> four a while, I have been off about a year.I decided I must learn all I can
> about this life distroying THING. I was diagnosed 2 -1/2 years ago I am
> now 64 1/2.
> 30 Days ago I incresed my medication. I take ELDEPRYL 5 MG th 7:00am
> and12:00pm
> SINEMET CR 25/100 TAB - 2 at 7:00am - 2 at 12:00pm - 2 at 5:00pm.
> Before my next dose of medication I get to the place when I stand up to walk
> I cannot pick up my feet. I do not feel stiff I just can not lift my feet.
> When I do I seem to go to fast and I must watch to keep from falling.
> When I get going, I do alright untill I stop again. This does not happen all
> the time.
> It dosn't seem like my doctor is willing to try any thing new.
> When I can tell a differance in 30 days, you know my friends can tell a lot
> of differance I would appreciate any suggestion.
> Ed Keith Hotrod@ kiva.net
>
>
>
Hello Ed, You are absolutely correct in your decision to try to understand
what is going on, because no-one, not even your neurologist, can really
understand how you feel better than you. I do not intend to talk about
coping with freezing (That is what you are experiencing) - other people
have studied that subject: I want be sure that you understand that it is
possible to stop it occurring in the first place.
Shuffling/Freezing (and inability to lift your feet) are very common symptoms
of insufficient medication. You have already made that connection in a way
when you write 'Before my next dose of medication I get to the point... etc'
Your problem is lack of medication. This is a complicated subject in the
real-life situation , and I doubt whether many neuros really understand it.
However I have developed a model which has proven to be quite precise in
describing what is going on when things like freezing and many other
symptoms occur.
Let's be very clear about one thing: we take Sinemet purely as a means of
overcoming the unpleasent symptoms of PD. If you are not achieving that
control then there is no reason why you should just put up with it. But
who do you turn to? General Practitioners (your family doctor) cannot be
expected to know or understand what is reqired; Neurologists should know,
but frequently display an incredible lack of understanding. Take your
current problem: You are running out of Sinemet before the time for your
next Sinemet tablet comes around. The cure? -Take the next tablet earlier.
If you say 'but the doctor didn't tell me to do that' That is the WRONG
answer. Only you can do this job. You need to overlap your tablets so
that as one fades away, the next is already ramping up to its designed
output. It takes an hour (typically) from the time when you take a Sinemet
or Sinemet CR to the point where the steady output is achieved. It also
takes about an hour for the Sinemet CR to fade away at the end of its life.
So if you take your second dose one hour before the old dose is due to
disappear, you can actually achieve a seamless join between ther old and
the new tablets. Note that if you do decide to experiment you should creep
up on this overlap: If you rush in and start the second dose too early, you
are at risk of getting an overlap peak where the old and the new tablets
are both pumping levodopa. This can produce overdose symptoms , called
Dyskinesias, which are not pleasant and should be avoided.
This is only a small item: If you want to know more, there are one or two
web sites where the site owner has kindly published various papers that I
have written on this subject. Try the following and look for my name.
http://james.parkinsons.org.uk/index.htm - For the whole site
http://james.parkinsons.org.uk/brian/htm - For my articles.
The above site has been in existance for some time and is well worth visiting.
E-mail me if you would like to learn more.
Regards,
--
Brian Collins <[log in to unmask]>
