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Phil Tompkins wrote: > I'm starting to wonder about Tasmar. As I understand it, what Tasmar > does is reduce the intake requirement for levodopa and allegedly > smooth out levodopa's delivery to the brain by opposing the breakdown > of levodopa in the bloodstream. This occurs outside the brain. When I'm trying to think back on how it was > before Tasmar, and things seemed simpler, perhaps better. As I understand it, there are two principal benefits from Tasmar: 1. Since you don't want dyskinesia from too much levodopa at one time, and since it dissipates rather quickly, if you need a lot you must take it in small frequent doses. For some of us this means every 3 hours around the clock, or every 2 hours, or even a continuous infusion pump. What Tasmar does is greatly prolong the retention of levodopa so you need not take it so often. For me that means every 6 hours instead of every 3, so I can sleep a lot better. 2. Unlike the other agonist drugs for PD, Tasmar also works outside the brain, where dopamine is needed by parts of the autonomic system. When that supply is reduced by PD, you get effects like constipation, sweating, temperature misregulation, and so forth. I can't be sure but I think it helps. Cheers, Joe -- J. R. Bruman (818) 789-3694 3527 Cody Road Sherman Oaks, CA 91403-5013