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I don't think so; but what do I know? I haven't had it myself, and I'm
not even a medical professional, but I see reports of it from a few list
members, that make me wonder. As I said before, the Merck Manual doesn't
mention it, although it does impute certain ANTI-dopamine drugs, and it
has plenty to say about the various forms of dyskinesia and their cause.
Likewise, the long paragraphs in the PDR Sinemet description covering
Warnings, Precautions, and Adverse Reactions (note the descending order
of importance) contain no mention of dystonia caused by Sinemet, except
when it is taken together with a tricyclic antidepressant, a class of
drugs well-known to counter the action of levodopa.

So how explain reports from a minority of listmembers, contradicting the
overwhelming majority experience and conventional wisdom? I suspect the
problem is semantic. It's hard to define exclusively the difference
between dyskinesia and dystonia, and even harder to interpret what each
different patient thinks he feels. I've mentioned elsewhere the possible
confusion of very mild peak-dose dyskinesia with resting tremor, and
since tremor, dyskinesia, and dystonia all involve the contraction of
muscles, perhaps the latter two can possibly be confused sometimes.

In any case, I've not yet heard of dystonia like that described by Marty
related positively to levodopa. The question might be resolved if he
follows his neuro's advice to avoid Sinemet (and other dopaminergic
drugs), but IMHO, since Marty certainly has PD, that doesn't sound like
a very good idea. Cheers,
Joe
--
J. R. Bruman   (818) 789-3694
3527 Cody Road
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403-5013