I have of and am 60. I take stalevo. I am very depressed and anxious. My doc says I can't drink wine. True?

[justmejudi]

[BillDavid]

For most alcohol is not a solution to depression and anxiety....there are other solutions available?

[judam9]

wine like all alcohol, is a depressant . so it isn't

going to hellp by feeding your depression you just have two,problems. if i thought it was good for that i would have still been drinking. good luck, bill david.

[bicyclingwithpd]

get off Stalevo and start taking sinemet. the side effects can be a bitch but there is no depression or anxiety. I've been on sinemet for 10 of the 13 years since I was diagnosed with PD and I'm feeling pretty good.

You should be able to drink wine or beer or liquor and enjoy yourself. Just don't overdo it. Moderation is the key. 2 drinks for me and that's it, but I do like to enjoy myself among friends, so as long as you're not taking red wine to "cure" your depression I think it's fine to imbibe a little! Good luck!

[soup in reply to bicyclingwithpd]

Stalevo contains Sinemet Bicycling with pd and is used when wearing off becomes a problem.

I would not advise you to go against your doctor's advice but what is s/he doing for your depression and anxiety. Somethimes these symptoms are linked to wearing off, which the Satlevo might help with, and other times they need additional support.

Ask for help with it and see what they say. Keep a diary of you off times and your anxious times and see if they coincide.

[bicyclingwithpd in reply to soup]

I have tried and tried Stalevo and if your symptoms are severe enough, there's just not enough Sinemet in it. my Neuro has told me several times that Sinemet is the "gold Standard" of meds for PD. my previous neuro who has retired used to tell me that all these meds including both Stalevo and Sinemet are just band-aids for symptomatic relief so since that's the case you might as well keep trying other prescription meds until you find one that works comfortably for you. my symptoms are balance, walking, and slowness, and I had the DBS surgical implantation in 2010 which reduced my need of meds from 12 pills a day to 4. If I'm having a busy day, 5 pills.

[soup]

Dear Justmejudi,

ADA, Anxiety, Depression and Apathy are as much a part of Parkinson's as the motor symptoms and need treating accordingly. They are often more apparent when the PD drugs 'wear' off and this might be why your clinician has included Stalevo in the mix as it is designed to help prolong the on time of the PD drugs.

You can take other PD meds with Stalevo but you may need to reduce the L Dopa ones due to the improvement you get from Stalevo. Use your clinician as the first place for information in this respect because once they, and you know exactly what you are on and how you have reacted to meds in the past.

However, the ADA symptoms can be caused by the general imbalance of many different areas of the brain caused by the dopamine problems in Parkinson's and they may not be controlled by dopamine replacement alone. Again, go to get advice and help from a medic. Pd safe antidepressants are safer and more effective against depression and anxiety in the 'on' state of medication than alcohol would be.