On Fri 04 Sep, Mary Legan wrote: > I've had an experience which I need your help to explain. I was diagnosed > with PD (the rigidity type) ~ 6 yrs ago, and now take 6 Sinemet 10/100 tablets > & 4 Sinemet 25/100 CR throughout the day, plus one or both early am if > necessary. I do have rather severe end-dose "offs", no dyskenesias; mornings > are my best time. > > A few months ago, a doctor who was studying people with PD & migraine asked if > I would see her late a.m. without having taken any meds. I agreed, & did so. > Then, a couple weeks ago, I saw a movement disorder physician at Mayo, late > morning. I had taken morning meds, but was due for a 10/100 while there, > which I didn't take. In both cases, I did very well, indeed! So much so that > I seemed essentially normal during each appointment. > > I know that stress can definitely make PD symptoms worse. Can this work in the > opposite way? Being with both of the doctors I mentioned was a very positive > experience for me. Have any of you improved at times which are emotionally > very good for you? > > A friend who was with me at Mayo has (I believe) misunderstood & now is rather > convinced that I don't have PD. Discussions with her are now causing me quite > a bit of stress! > > If you have had improvements when life is good, would you send me a note on > this which I could show her? > > Or if you could share some neurochemistry information on this, that would > really help a lot, too. She & I are both studiers. > > This is more important to me than I can express in this post, & I'll be very > grateful for whatever you would be willing to contribute. > > M.Dawn 56/6 > > > Hello Mary, I found your story interesting, because I have discovered that in situations where stress is a significant factor, the amount of Sinemet required goes down dramatically. I have made good use of this factor at the AGM's of our PD Society in the UK, which are often stressful and argumentative. I initially found that I was shaking uncontrollably, which hampered me considerably, and I have now found that for the entire 2 days of the meeting, I can manage on only half my normal dosage of Sinemet. (I have had PD for 20 yrs , by the way) . I believe that the missing Sinemet is being temporarily replaced by adrenalin - it's a well-established fact that adrenalin can affect PD symptoms, but I was amazed to find I could keep it going for 2 days. The other point concerns your mention of " plus one or both early am if necessary." I scent an early morning "Kick -start over boost of an additional tablet early in the mormning. Am I right, and if so, did you take that booster tab on the day you felt good? I have written before on this subject, so I won't go into too much detail, Suffice to say that I believe Kick-Starting with an extra tablet can seriously spoil your entire day! -- Brian Collins <[log in to unmask]>