My husband was diagnosed with grade 2. PD 3 years ago. He is doing pretty well on sinemet. The main problem is jumping legs, either one. Usually late in the day. This is apparently Repetitive Limb Movement and Sinemet is also a drug for this but it can make it worse. Does anyone else have this? It is usually from the ankle to the toes, stretching and pointing the toes as if a ballet dancer every 12-18 seconds. It is notTestless Leg Syndrome. It wakes him up or prevents him from going to sleep. I think being sedentary does not help, for example travelling. Sometimes it occurs just before the Sinemet dose, sometimes 25 or so minutes after. It is erratic and it is difficult to see a pattern. Any help or suggestions would be gratefully received!
Jumping legs!: My husband was diagnosed... - Cure Parkinson's
Jumping legs!
It sounds like a well-known side effect of sinemet. I have this at various times, sometimes as the dose is wearing off, at peak dose at other times...
My neurologist at Guys has varied the dose and frequency, and sometimes this helps, sometimes not! I often find myself standing on one leg while the other foot twists and points spasmodically. I must admit, I am learning to deal with it by trying -very difficult sometimes - to keep moving, walking about and so on.
I take Stalevo (levodopa, carbidopa and entacapone) 5 times a day, Half Sinemet CR each night, and Ropinerole once a ady.
Go back to your PD specialist and have a chat.
Thank you so much. His specialist has suggested trying patches but F is very against agonists if at all possible. Last night the only thing that helped was Paracetamol 500. Do you find any particular foods are a no no? I agree, keeping moving does seem to help, but is not ideal in the middle of the night! CR simply does not work for him.
We very much appreciate your help
The only difference food makes is, I believe, the absorbtion of the meds. I haven't noticed any great effect!
You might look into magnesium. I'm sorry that I can't give you more information, but I have read that it can help with the muscle contractions. I did find magnesium cream that I rubbed on my husbands legs and it seemed to help some. I have also seen some recipes for herbal tea and adding powdered magnesium was in the recipe.
I had this. Could not lie in my back without my left foot twitching down until the toes were all curled over and tense. So unpleasant. I started on 250mg magnesium before bed every night and it was much (80%) improved. Since then I was diagnosed and added azilect and then NAC. Toes are around 98% relaxed now.
Just got that 2% to remind me!
Thank you! He has increased the magnesium from 150mg to 225mg and takes 1 X NAC in the morning. It just does not seem to follow any pattern at all
More magnesium is better. The amount you are taking is still below the RDA for magnesium. The best form of magnesium for neurological conditions is magnesium threonate. It was made for Alzheimer's and it rapidly penetrats the blood brain barrier and central nervous system. I take the following brand because it is the best buy on the web:
rakuten.com/prod/absorb-hea...
While checking on this I came across
drperlmutter.com/magnesium-...
Dr David Perlmutter recommends it - His book, The Better Brain Book, has a good chapter on Parkinson's
Hope this may help others.
I have tried magnesium oxide, magnesium malate, magnesium sulfate, magnesium citrate, magnesium glycinate, magnesium chloride and magnesium threonate and I think the last 2 are the best. Magnesium threonate will enhance memory and cognitive abilities whilst magnesium chloride can be used for the detoxification of heavy metals - so I use both.
Here is an article about the use of magnesium chloride for heavy metal detoxification:
Thank you for this suggestion.
Clonazepan helped me with all sleep problems, including restless leg.