i have had PD for about 16 years. I have never been on Sinemet, except for a couple weeks. I am now on 100 mg of Mirapex 3X A DAY AND AMANTADINE 100mg. 3 X a day.
I would like to try taking Mucuna capsules. I have one bottle of Mucuna distributed by Himalaya from India. The label says...organic velvet bean seed -100 mg and 15% LDOPA...15 mg. and 500 mg organic velvet bean powder. The other bottle I have is called Mucuna Pruriens distributed by Swanson in the USA. Its' label says...Mucuna Puriena Seed Extract 350 mg. I also have a prescription for CARBIDOPA-LEVODOPA 25-100. I got this because I've read you need to take this with Mucuna to cross into the brain.
I don't know which one or how much to take or if I need the CARBDOPA-.EVOQOPA. I would appreciate any advice. Thanks.
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maryalice
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Are you taking amantadine for dyskinesias? If so, I'd think twice about taking mucuna. This will add l-dopa and is likely to make any dyskinesia worse.
At least that is my experience, but I'm not a doctor.
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My experience has been that the 15% Mucuna capsules you have are not very strong. You may not get more than 30 minutes relief. The stronger extract powder, 60% or 95 or 98% will give you longer relief. From the literature I have read on Mucuna is that it is enjoyed widely by body builders and those that simply "want to feel good." I, and others with PD and RLS, take it in stronger concentrations so that we get the same brain concentrations as prescription dopamine medicine without all the side effects of prescription drugs. Mucuna has been used for hundreds of years to control PD. It is a bean; a vegetable with properties of L Dopa. I have taken the 98% Mucuna (Velvet Bean) EXTRACT for 9 months with continuing relief (it does not diminish like prescription drugs). I get 4 hours' sleep from 1/2 tsp. of the 98% powder (from powdercity.com). I do have to get up in the middle of the night and take more, but that is all my tender stomach will handle at a time. All in all, I was getting about an hour, maybe, sleep each night; now I get 8.
I was taking ropinirole when I started Mucuna. I had no interaction from taking both, but I quickly stopped ropinirole because I don't like drugs, and I was getting very little benefit from ropinirole without greatly increasing the dosage. I had some withdrawal, but I'm glad I stopped prescriptions.
You will need to experiment with what works for you. And always pass this info by your doctor/health care provider.
When you first started Mucuna how much did you take and how much ropinirole did you take. Was it difficult to give up the ropinirole? Do you take anything other than the Mucuna? Did you start off with the 98% powder? Sorry for all the questions. Where do you buy the powder please?.
I started with 15% because I didn't know the strength of it and how it would affect me. It didn't affect me at all; in fact, I felt no help from it. I quickly graduated up to 60% EXTRACT. I found the extract to have the help I needed with L-Dopa. It worked fine, but lasted only a couple hours. I needed more than that. Then I found (I kept looking) 98% Mucuna Extract. That is what I have been taking for months. It has helped me very well.
I was taking ropinirole at the time and when the 15% Mucuna didn't give me any relief, I stayed with ropinirole, but by this time ropinirole was lasting only a couple hours (not like when I first started taking ropinirole--it lasted me 8 hours). I upped my dose of ropinirole from a quarter of a mg. (a very low dose) When that stopped working I doubled to .5 mg. Then I had to progress to .75 mg. to get any relief. Then 1 mg. By that time I could see the handwriting on the wall. I knew from talking to my son-in-law (a physician), that the dosage has to be increased again and again, but that the effectiveness soon wears off as well. Then I would be prescribed something stronger, and the cycle would repeat. That's when I started searching in earnest for a natural L-Dopa. I found it! Mucuna Pruriens. Mucuna has given me the same effectiveness every night for about 9 months now. No side affects. It's natural and has hundreds of years of proven effectiveness with no side effects.
How long have you had PD?Where can you get a reliable supply.? Does your Neurologist have any problems with you taking Mucuna? Are there any guidelines on what is the maximum dose one can safely take I wonder. Thanks for your replies.
Hi, do you have PD? I remember another post where you replied that you have RESTLESS LEG SYNDROM, but not PD. Am I mistaken? I ask because I wonder if Mucuna works differently on a non-PD person.
No, I do not have PD. The research I read implies that Mucuna works the same way for both RL and PD by providing natural L-Dopa to the brain. Primarily, Mucuna has been used for PD for hundreds of years. Years of use for PD seems to indicate it is completely safe and reliable.
Hi, I have been on ropinirole (requip generic brand) for almost 7 yrs along with Trihexyphenidyl but lately requip is not working out, my major symptom is right side tremor only from my limb down, and lately my right leg is getting stiff (freezes) now I don't know if it's from PD or from ankle surgery that I had 4 months ago, I did a very bad one, broke my ankle in three. Trihexy (as I call it) helps more with mentioned issues, but a few times my neuro wants to take me off it. My main problem with Natural/supplements/vitamins etc... is that I want to see results the next day, if I don't see maybe in a week I give up. I was taking DopaBean Mucuna Pruriens by SolaRay and Calcium bone formula by !Alive! Now do you have to take mucuna with Levadopa? because I only take those two PD meds. Any suggestions, opinions on these mentioned issues???
From my own experience, just taking plain Mucuna is not enough. And some of the preparations out there are too weak to be effective for PD or RLS. I have discovered that I (me personally) must take the Mucuna EXTRACT (it has more of the Dopa that we need to control our symptoms), and the highest concentration of the extract, like 98 or 95%. That is what works so well for me.
I (and others I have read here on this blog) took ropinirole that soon had no effect for me. That's when I realized that prescription drugs are limited. They eventually leave you with no relief and lots of "kickback." Natural Mucuna Pruriens is a bean that has other properties naturally grown in the bean that assist the body where prescription drugs do not. To get off ropinirole, I took it along with Mucuna (at the same time), and then gradually stopped the ropinirole relying solely on the mucuna. It worked well for me with no kickback. I did not have to increase the dosage to keep getting the same relief as with drugs.
Mucuna has been used in India for hundreds of years to control PD. The studies I've read suggest a high dosage of Mucuna was needed (the study used Zandopa which is 87% extract)--like 30 grams--with no harmful results at all. One scoop of Zandopa is 7.5 grams. You can order Zandopa on line, so if you choose this product, check out your options on line.
I have been using the 98% extract powder (not Zandopa) at night which gives good relief. Also, check around for this online. My original source has dried up, but there are other websites that well the 95-98% mucuna EXTRACT. Check every source you find because a lot of companies sell Mucuna, but it's the 15% kind. You will not find much, if any, relief from those.
It would depend on the strength. If it is 15%, which is a very weak dosage as I see it; you would need more to give you relief. Experiment to see what works for you.
I went after SuperMNew advice. I began mucuna on may 2015 used 400mg 15% L dopa capsules. .began with and 2 went up to 8 per day.each capsule is 60 mg L dopa which is a very small e mount. 2 week s ago changed to the 98.% L dopa. I take 2 little scoops -150 mg Ldopa .Last in the morning's about 4 hours .less in the evening. I feel exectly when I need to take. I take also 1 azilect and 1 amantadin in the morning
One hint I learned was to empty the capsules into a glass and add whatever liquid you want. For me it was just water since MP has no taste. It goes to work faster if the gelatin capsule does not have to dissolve in your stomach first to release the Mucuna.
The capsules soon became too expensive for me to keep up with. That's when I found powercity.com and buy the 98% Mucuna EXTRACT. That's what I've been using ever since.
Help!! Where do I buy Mucuna the one you are taking?? I've tried Powdercity, but when I type Mucuna on the "search" button I get no results. What gives???
Unfortunately, Powder City has expanded, taking some of its products and putting them into a different distribution channel. I contacted them and they could not yet tell me from where the Mucuna would be sold. Ugh! I hate that because I was in need of more when I contacted them.
I did a search and found 98% Mucuna Extract through smartpowders.com/products/s... I ordered from them and have tried it several times. However, I am having issues with sciatic nerve pain and heavy metals contributed by a crown on a tooth that is lined with aluminum which has been leeching into my body for 25 years. I am now trying to detox this out of my body. It is hard to distinguish between all this since they seem to manifest at the same time at night, so I will need to experiment with their mucuna powder to find the right dosage for me. You will also need to experiment with the dosage that works for you.
I get the 100% pharmaceutical grade Mucuna Extract from Nutrivita. (Powder City stopped carrying Mucuna) Here is where I get my Mucuna: nutrivitashop.com/l-dopa-10...
I am sorry! I take the same amount that I have stated in the message below. Now I take nothing but the Mucuna. The EgCg capsules have caffeine, and I am staying away from that.
Hi, I got this too from Nutri Vita, to take in the am because the MP was putting me back to sleep, mentioned it a day or so ago..they call it L Dopa made from MP. Is it the same thing you're taking ?
Ha ! Well, considering I had very little sleep the night before I did manage to have a fun holiday with relatives. Dinner...well thats another story !
Now, I'm trying to untangle myself from all I've been reading re MP and NUTRIVITA L-DOPA extract. My question is for both items...Do either of these require the other to cross the blood brain barrier ?
NutriVita L-Dopa is the purest I've found. None others say Pharmaceutical grade, 100% MP extract. And yes, they do cross the blood brain barrier. I have found this MP to be first choice among all the others.
Do you have any thoughts about taking both MP and the L-Dopa extract both in the same day ? One in the morning and one at night ? or is that an oxymoron ?
MP is L-Dopa! But a smaller percentage MP (like 48% or any sort you can find) should work, but unless you have severe symptoms, I'm not sure I would double up with MP and what you are calling L-Dopa. I took a lower percentage MP early in the evening so I could sit and play cards with friends. It worked just fine for me for a couple hours. Long enough to have a good time with friends. When I got home, I took my regular dosage of 100% MP at 10 and was asleep at 10:30.
Hi maryalice: The Mucuna that you have is very weak. You may not receive any relief from them. 15% is usually what bodybuilders take just to feel a little lift. Mucuna is used widely for those who want a little more sparkle in their step after they work out. To control PD (and RLS), you will need an EXTRACT of 60% or more. The more potent, the better. I take 98% Mucuna EXTRACT powder, (from powdercity.com) 1/2 tsp. about 30-45 minutes before I want relief from the shaking so I can sleep. This gives me 4 hours of good, solid sleep. I do not take any prescription medicine. At the end of 4 hours, I take another 1/2 tsp. and get another 4 hours, approximately. I only take 1/2 tsp. of the powder in water on an empty stomach. 1/2 tsp. is all my sensitive stomach can handle at a time. (I add a little stevia to make it sweet. Mucuna doesn't have any taste.)
Mucuna Pruriens has been used in India for hundreds of years to control PD. It is proven safe and effective. Many, many people who suffer with PD have relied on it alone for years. You may want to do some online research on Mucuna. There are quite a few articles on it. Then, experiment on what works for you.
I was taking ropinirole at one point, but when that stopped working, I added Mucuna while I was stopping ropinirole, but I did take both at the same time for a while. My ropinirole was not a very high dose, but I could see where I would need to double, then double again the dose to continue to get relief. I stopped that madness!
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