Neupro patch

[david26point2]

<My Neurologist has just prescribed me Neupro 2mg/24 hour Transdermal Patch. I am presently taking Sinamet 24/100 4 times daily and Amantadine 100 mg twice daily

If anyone is on the Neupro patch I would like to find out what the benefits and/or drawbacks are and if there are any bad side effects. Also, since I have no insurance coverage for medicine, how much you are paying for this. I checked on Good Rx and the best price I could find was $669.00 for one month supply. I have Medicare Parts A & B. Does anyone know if there is any coverage under part D or some manufacturers program to help with the cost.

I would be grateful for any information

David

[park_bear]

Neupro is a dopamine agonist. These do help some people but could also have severe adverse effects - orthostatic hypotension, which can mean inability to stand without fainting, and impulse control disorders such as compulsive sex, gambling, shopping, or eating. In my opinion this class of drug should only be attempted after you are taking as much levodopa as you can handle - and you're not taking all that much levodopa. Big Pharma pushes dopamine agonists because as you can see they charge a lot more for them than for levodopa.

Also, to take a look at high dose vitamin B1 / thiamine which is discussed elsewhere in this forum.

[david26point2 in reply to park_bear]

Park Bear - Thanks for your reply. I will talk to my doctor about increasing Sinemet or possibly switching to Rytary. I already take 500 mg B1 per day. I'll take your advice and check this site for recommendations.

[johntPM]

David,

I find an analysis based on levodopa equivalent dose (LED) useful. This gives a rough way of aggregating the effects of different drugs. See:

parkinsonsmeasurement.org/t...

You take:

Sinemet 100mg levodopa x 4, scaling factor=1, LED = 400

Amantadine 100mg x 2, scaling factor=1, LED = 200

Rotigotine patch 2mg, scaling factor=30, LED = 60

Giving a levodopa equivalent daily dose of 660mg.

Is the doctor titrating you up to a bigger dose?

Rotigotine delivers a more stable release pattern.

John

[david26point2 in reply to johntPM]

Thanks John for your response. I will talk to my doctor about the LED and whether I need to increase it. He suggested the Rotigotine as a way to stabilize the release pattern as you noted.

[Hikoi]

David

The patch works very well for many people with its continuous and steady drug supply which is considered positive. the intermittent supply sees us with fluctuate dopamine levels and this pulsating approach they think can lead to later problems. Unfortunately the patch is not available where i live or I think i would be on it. Other dopamine agonists come in long acting pill versions. They work on slightly different pathways I think.

Parkbear had a very negative experience but you wont know how it is for you unless you try it. As well as a possible drop in bp, or nausea, or compulsive behaviours there are storage and application problems. Some people have rash problems .

if you cant find a reasonable priced supplier I would consider the alternative agonists from the start.

[ladyeden]

I was prescribed Neupro 2mg Had it on for two days - by third day suffering badly so went back to Stalevo and Sifrol Neupro way too expensive where I live.