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hi all At 12:12 1999/11/15 EST, cari wrote: >1. today's IS a better day, thanks - sort of! > >2. last week, in an effort to fine-tune my dad's med/sched and symptoms >(sinemet/dysk related), i received some feedback from one member (thanks!) >who graphed out the peaks and valleys based on daddy's schedule - it came >back mostly valleys - which is okay because it can be improved upon - > >3. IS there a way (or ways) to plot out what the doses "should" do based on >a schedule? (or the layman's description of ".25 mg of sinemet 25-100 will >begin their effect in X minutes, peaking at X and slowing down in X" kind of >thing? > > if so, point me there! > >4. what "graphing" program might you use? > >thanks - >cari > cari the very best way to track med response imho would be for your dad to note how he feels each time he is the one who experiences the roller coaster and if he learns to listen to his body's dopamine level messages he will only benefit more as time marches on and his response to levodopa becomes more sensitive it's like listening to a maserati engine while in the process of a tuneup for a few days i kept a running tab on my symptoms every 15 minutes it was a bit tedious at the time but ultimately very useful [and not just for me, but for my doctor as well] i used a simple rating scale of 1-10 where: 1 = completely off and immobile 5 = virtually normal movement 10 = completely dyskinetic and uncontrollable an example: TIME RATING MEDS 0900 - 2 - 10/100 sinemet 0915 - 3 0930 - 4 0945 - 5 1000 - 6 1015 - 7 1030 - 6 1045 - 5 1100 - 3 - 10/100 sinemet 1115 - 2 .... etc by seeing the hills and valleys so clearly i was able to adjust my med timing a tad more carefully [half tablets more frequently] and flatten out the landscape other factors may affect the timing; what kind of food and when and hormone levels in women but it's interesting to see how they affect the terrain too janet janet paterson 52 now / 41 dx / 37 onset e-mail - [log in to unmask] web-site - http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Village/6263/