• Late Day Levodopa/Carbidopa Does Not Working

    Posted by ronald-cochran on December 18, 2019 at 2:05 pm

    I am writing on behalf of my Mother.  She is 90 years old.  She has had PD and has taken Sinemet for 10 years, so luckily her PD has progressed slowly.   In recent months her normal 3:00 PM dose does little to control her symptoms.  In particular her tremors become much move severe a short time after that dose.

    I have read of a number of Extended-Release meds., that might help her with this problem.

    Has anyone experienced such a late day Sinemet dose problem?  If so, might you have ideas of a medication that might help?

    ephren replied 4 years, 1 month ago 11 Members · 17 Replies
  • 17 Replies
  • Deleted User

    Deleted User
    December 18, 2019 at 5:46 pm

    hi ronald, have you spoken to your mom’s neurologist about his?  as i understand it,sinemet does NOT slow or stop disease progression, rather it helps to alleviate movement symptoms (eg; tremor). I am not a health professional but i would venture to say the sinemt is losing its efficacy to control symptoms due to disease progression.  an adjustment to her sinemet dosage maybe in order.

  • rcb1040

    Member
    December 19, 2019 at 9:45 pm

    Hi Ronald.   Interesting question.

    I am 66 yrs old diagnosed 18 months ago.  Probably really in my 3rd full year. Been on sinemet for 12 months.

    The past six months I have been dealing with off times before and after all sinemet doses.  This was and still is worst around my 3pm sinemet dose time.

    To deal with this, my doctor has me using both

    Sinemet and Sinemet ER in a way that seems to be helping.

    Of course, this is what we are tying for my particular version of the PD thing.

    And we all know that we each have our own particular version of this PD thing so I

    don’t know if what works for me would work for your mother.

    Best of luck.

    Robert

     

     

    • ronald-cochran

      Member
      December 20, 2019 at 9:10 am

      Hi Robert,

      Thank you very much for your reply! I wasn’t even aware that there is a Extended Release version of Sinemet. I’ll look into this some more and let my Mother know what you’ve told me and anything else I learn.

      Best,

      Ron Cochran

  • gail-dons

    Member
    December 25, 2019 at 12:24 am

    Hi Ronald!
    Jean is right that Sinemet does not stop disease progression. So far, nothing (except maybe exercise) does that. So glad your mom has progressed slowly! Last year, I began having dystonia-like neck contractions that woke me up at 0530 almost every day. My MDS started me on a bedtime dose of Sinemet CR, and it took care of the problem.
    Robert is also correct to remind us that everyone has their own particular version of Parkinsons. And the good news is that Sinemet CR is not the only product available for “off” episodes! There are several products, some very new, with different delivery systems (nasal sprays, anyone?) So, please talk to your mother’s neurologist or MDS. He/she can then look at your moms medical history, and discuss the options. You may have to try several things, as there can be side effects since each person responds to medications slightly differently. Keep at it – chances are good that your mom can get some help for this!

  • Deleted User

    Deleted User
    December 25, 2019 at 5:28 am

    Well articulated Gail, I could not have said it better

  • jo-s

    Member
    December 27, 2019 at 7:15 am

    Excellent answer, Gail! You covered it perfectly.

  • ronald-cochran

    Member
    December 27, 2019 at 8:39 am

    Hi Gail,

    Thanks a lot for your reply! I have talked to my Mom about Sinemet CR, and she plans to discuss this with her Neurologist.

    Thanks again,

    Ron

  • bridielena

    Member
    December 31, 2019 at 12:00 pm

    I’ve opened the Forum hoping to read somewhere, somehow, somebody has an answer.

    Its after 3.00am which is my usual time to wake and forces me out.  Pain, numbness , bladder problems dictates my life of misery .

    2005 was a long time ago and never forgotten as that’s when the Sword of Damacles appeared over my head.

    Madopar introduced slowly.  Now hit and miss.  I’ve just taken half a 150 mg which will give me enough ON time once kicked in, which could take half an hour or 10 mins, to get to the bathroom, make bed, and feel half human.

    i have numbness all over, little dexterity to type and delete more times than I need to get my message out.   My desk is very close to the bed making ease of exiting easier.  I now wait.

    Because I now have severe Dyskenesia from the medication,  I’m loathe to take usual daily  dose so have to settle for this lack of mobility.
    My neurologist told me to play around with dose to help me find the optimum but I cant.

    Im in a Nursing home at 72.  Dumped by family.  Problem solved.

    i hate my life, I’m hurting with invisible pain and only Panacea seems to be out of sight to all, so ‘she’s ok mate’.

    Negativity now rules I’m sorry to report especially at this ‘witching hour’.  I can have moments of positivity later in the day but rare now.

    I’m managing to remain independent and I’d love to press ‘help’ button, but  because I don’t want strangers toileting me, showering me, dressing me, I don’t.   Why am I so stubborn.  There’s a Fall waiting to escape.  I know there’s hope out there but not in my lifetime.

    Forgive me .  2020 here but definitely no New Year Resolutions.

  • Deleted User

    Deleted User
    December 31, 2019 at 12:02 pm

    Helen,

    I feel for you and am so sorry you are so down.  Totally understandable, we all have moments/days/weeks like that.  I fear loss of independence myself, but I cant go down that rabbit hole or I will never come out.   I try to focus on being in the moment and thankful for what i still can do… easier said than done.. I wish you peace Helen..

  • carol-rothfeld

    Member
    December 31, 2019 at 12:45 pm

    I am also taking an injectable medication called Apokyn. It is subcutaneous and easy to administer. It boosts the effectiveness of the Sinemet and can be taken up to 5 times per day. My off time is in the morning to early afternoon. It helps with tremors, etc.

  • carol-rothfeld

    Member
    January 2, 2020 at 10:04 am

    I am also taking a sub cutaneous injection called Apokyn. It enhances the effectiveness of the Sinemet.

  • robert-harris

    Member
    February 20, 2020 at 3:05 pm

    With me and others I have talked to, there is a very strong correlation between carbi/levo working or not working and (1) constipation and (2) eating protein. If I eat a typical hamburger, it tends to wipe out the effectiveness of my meds for the next two or three hours. Similarly, if I’m constipated and feel the pressure under my stomach, I also feel non-functional.

    I’m going to post a thread on constipation remedies for all of us to share what we find works and what doesn’t.

  • Deleted User

    Deleted User
    February 22, 2020 at 7:46 am

    robert, c/l seems to only mildly help my symptoms (mainly fatigue, bradyk, poor fine motor skills).  no constipation and i went almost 4 days of almost no or  very low protein and it did not make a difference. i usually take the c/l at least an hour before eating and take it with vitamin C (recommended for absorption)

     

  • mary-beth-skylis

    Moderator
    February 24, 2020 at 9:33 am

    Robert- my Dad has noticed a connection between protein consumption and the effectiveness of Sinemet as well. Any time he eats eggs for breakfast or alot of meat, it seems to negatively impact how well his medications function. Do you think that might be the case with you too?

  • gail-dons

    Member
    February 24, 2020 at 4:00 pm

    The Parkinsons Foundation has a good booklet on diet and Parkinsons. “Nutrition Matters” Here is an excerpt:

    “Protein in the meal is broken down in the intestine into amino acids. These aminos must travel across the intestinal wall to get into the blood. Then they must cross the blood-brain barrier to enter the brain. Sinemet also must transit the intestine and the blood-brain barrier using exactly the same carrier system as the amino acids.
    Most meals contain a large amount of protein, and the amino acids use up all the “carriers.” The Sinemet must wait until the carriers are free again, in order to cross over into the bloodstream. The same thing happens when Sinemet tries to get to the brain, where it does its work. Once more, amino acids clog all the “carriers” and Sinemet can’t get through to the brain.
    Therefore, it’s best to take Sinemet 30 to 60 minutes before eating a meal. This allows the Sinemet to be quickly absorbed before the food can interfere.”

  • steven-oppen

    Member
    February 25, 2020 at 1:59 pm

    Hi, all. This is Steve in Sarasota, FL, sending my first contribution to this on line forum. Diagnosed in 2013 and, like all of you, fighting the good fight against this horrible affliction. I haven’t seen another drug mentioned, so I’ll throw it into the mix. It’s Rytary, a time-release version of Sinemet, available in 4-5 strengths. The bad news – Rytary is still a branded drug and is VERY expensive. If I had to pay for Rytary, my expenses would be about $15,000 per year (that’s for a relatively heavy dosage schedule). I thank the lord every day that I retired from a very well-funded biological research institute, and my drug costs are covered completely by a fabulous medical plan. If you have the means (and I realize that many of us would have difficulty with the cost), ask your neurologist whether Rytary makes any sense. Your neurologist may be able to give you some samples to try.

     

    Knowing that ” if you’ve met one PD patient, you’ve met one PD patient,” my experience with Rytary has generally been very good. I take the capsules one hour before each meal and one hour before bedtime.  Rytary’s efficacy can last for 4-6 hours. But, of course, nothing with this disease is a fixed target. I have been experiencing more and more late afternoon “off” periods, and they are truly horrendous. All of the PD motor symptoms take over my body, and my anxiety levels go through the roof.

    It so happens that I just returned from seeing my neurologist, and he prescribed a relatively smaller additional dose of Rytary, to be taken at 2:00 p.m. The hope is that the “off” experiences will diminish as a result of more levidopa in my system in the late afternoon. If the additional dosing does not help, or if my dyskinesia becomes unmanageable (currently, I can handle the “bobbing and weaving”), then we’ll have to go to Plan B. Plan B is a combination of Neupro (the patch) and smaller doses of Rytary.

    I hope that my experience gives you something to discuss with your medical team. Good Luck !

  • ephren

    Member
    February 25, 2020 at 3:02 pm

    Hi, my name is Ephren,vand I completely understand what your mom is going through.  In my case this same scenario happens after my 6:00 p.m dose,  and what makes it worse the distonya on my neck.

    My Dr increased the dosage going this will help.

    Best wishes to you and especially your mom,!

     

     

Log in to reply.