I think sometimes Parkinson's just kicks you in the ass just to let you know he is there.

[Bailey_Texas]

Yesterday I ate a large meal consisting of mashed potatoes, chicken and dumplings,and mac and cheese. I ate at 3:30 to 4:00 pm took meds at 5. I know better. My hands and arms ached for hours I had restless leg, and could not set still for more than 5 minutes. Had trouble walking also. Today I am great. Seems it does not matter what I eat just how much and when.

[Mikehere]

I wait for 2 hours to eat or at least 30 minutes before I eat. It does become hard to do at times, but this is the rule I follow that seems to work for me the best.

[Judy78]

I don't understand. Was you suppose to wait longer before taking meds? Or was what you ate that interfer with meds? What meds are you taking ?

[Bailey_Texas in reply to Judy78]

i ate and took my meds as I always do. Just ate a large meal. I take C/L every 4 hours and it works great. I try to eat at least 1 to 1.5 hours before my meds. Just had a weak moment and over did it. I knew I would pay for it but was good.

Thanks

[soup]

Baily, that sounds like quite a meal!

I suppose you know that protein in the section of gut that absorbs the levodopa can slow the drug uptake into the system? They say drugs one hour after a meal for that reason but I suspect that if you are having any problems such as constipation that will increase the time that the food hangs around in the gut.

[Bailey_Texas in reply to soup]

Yes it was. We ate out and just like most places here in the US the portion was large. Just had a weak moment and over did it. I knew I would pay for it but was good.

Thanks

[HealthSeeker7]

We wondered why my husband's PD meds worked sometimes and not others. Our neurologist told us that animal protein is absorbed in the gut first and takes priority over levodopa. So if meat, eggs or dairy is eaten around the same time you take your PD meds, the levodopa might pass through you without being absorbed fully, or at all.

We experimented with this by eating only vegan meals until after his last dose of meds for the day, and voila! His PD meds began working much more reliably, even when taken just before or after a meal.

We had been lacto-vegetarians for decades, so we had already given up meat and eggs. However, we had to break the habit of eating cheese, butter and icecream too, but only during the daytime. If we really want some now, we just have it in a late meal or snack.

It is much easier to eat a vegan diet these days because there are so many great tasting meat, cheese and milk substitutes available. PWPs can benefit from the worldwide trend of swapping animal food for plant food. Plant food is healthier too, for both you and the planet.

Why not do your own experimentation? Try eating only vegan meals for a day or two and see if your PD meds work better for you too. Have a look in the vegan / vegetarian / free from ranges widely available in supermarkets now. You can make easy meals from egg- and dairy-free vegeburgers, ready-made meals, and nut, soya or coconut milk (all great on cereals). There are even vegan icecreams made from these milks that you would never know aren't dairy, they're that good. Even Ben and Jerrys has come out with a vegan icecream.