Taken Meds with Cola (DR . Pepper) vs water.

[Bailey_Texas]

When I take my meds with Dr pepper it only takes about 30 minutes for them to start working vs water at about 1 hour or more. The meds also last longer when i drink Dr Pepper. They last for about 3 hours ( a total of 3.5 hours vs 3 hours total with water) which means i get an extra hour of up time (0.5 hours because they start quicker and last 0.5 hours longer When they crash at the 3.5 hour mark it is at least 50 % less than when i drink water. I know this sounds strange but fore me it just works. I drink about 1.5 to 2 liters of Dr Pepper a day.

I thought at first that it was only n my head but i stopped drinking Cola for about a month and i had more down time.

Try it it just might just work for you.

[Scott714]

Was just wondering how you were doing.

[Bailey_Texas in reply to Scott714]

For 14 years With this thing we call Parkinson's i am doing well. I am a little slower than a year ago. I still get up at 4am and try to get at least 4 hours of sleep but don;t always get that much. I work in my shop for most of the day just cleaning up or repairing any thing that needs a little care.

[Scott714 in reply to Bailey_Texas]

That is good to hear. Cheers!

[Parkinsonjisung]

Have you experimented with coke or diet coke or any other brands to try and figure out what is causing the effect?

[Bailey_Texas in reply to Parkinsonjisung]

no i can not drink diet soda

[MarionP in reply to Bailey_Texas]

What's the trouble with diet soda? Meanwhile, I've had the same experience with alcohol, back when I did have alcohol that is, noticed when sugar is involved the alcoholic effect ensues more quickly. Interesting, and Dr. Pepper has long been my favorite soda anyway, though because it is full of sugar I virtually never have it anymore.

[Bailey_Texas in reply to MarionP]

All diet soda has a chemical taste i can not stand.

[Somic67]

L/D meds are in part destroyed during digestion by acid in the stomach.

The longer L/C stays in the stomach (heavy or mixed meal) the more is lost.

Stomach opens to intestine when acidity of the content (or part of it) is below a certain level of acidity (pH)

Sparkling drinks acidity accelerates the passage and therefore more L/C is available for absorption in the small intestine, therefore you get shorter onset and longer duration.

My best performance is in the early morning, after at least 12 hour fasting and some exercise with 10 min on the bumper, good hydration but empty stomach: 15/20' to onset.

If I have a light breakfast after 1st dose it lasts approx the same otherwise can be 30% shorter (digestion takes approx. 35/40% more of basal energy).

However also the peak is greater and this is not optimal for neurons (IMMO).

pls note that canned/soda drinks can help in the moment but sugar and carbo in the long term decrease capability of stomach to produce acid, giving slow digestion, sleepiness and so on.

[jlmerten in reply to Somic67]

Do you see any issues taking meds with zero sugar, juice free seltzer waters on a regular basis? I have also read that OJ is a good option. I don't like drinking that much sugar so I take my carbidopa/Levodopa with chewable vitamin C. Chewing the pill with the vitamin also seems to make it digest faster.

[pdpatient in reply to jlmerten]

Good observation, guys. The reason why that works is the ascorbic acid in the drinks that you mentioned. I read about the ascorbic acid being one of the ingredients of Rytary and the recommendation of Dr. Laura Mischley who recommends that one should take levodopa with some ascorbic acid. I tried it and it absolutely works. All of the absorption issues that I had disappeared almost immediately. I bought ascorbic acid powder from Bulk supplements and I just take 1/8th of a tsp with water at each Rytary dose and the results are amazing. There is just one problem. I am getting dyskynesias and so I am down titrating my dosage gradually to reduce that.

[Somic67 in reply to pdpatient]

the fastest the absorption the highest the peak in the blood the worst the side effects of the drug in the long term and the resistance by brain.

This is the reason why in Ayurvedic Medicine mucuna pruriens is given pure (without carbidopa) with milk (fat to slow down the absorption) for long time before changing dosage. Only a minimal fraction of levodopa contained reaches the brain and a even less reaches the center of the brain where it is needed, together with the many protective nutrient and anti-oxidants and the other herbs used to balance the drug and control side effects

[Lamas79 in reply to Somic67]

Can you give more information on this?

[Somic67 in reply to Lamas79]

very few, old (but this may be positive) and difficult to get entirely.

Everything started for me from the story told by a PwP and a book of a neurologist. Then i started to research more and observe myself and experiment (es. ashwagandha, turmeric, caffeine, green tea, dark chocolate, resveratrol and others are natural MAO-b inhibitors like selegiline)

The Role of Mucuna pruriens and Withania Somnifera in the Neuroprotection and Treatment of Parkinson’s disease

symbiosisonlinepublishing.c...

Paralysis agitans and levodopa in "Ayurveda": ancient Indian medical treatise

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/240...

The history of parkinsonism: descriptions in ancient Indian medical literature

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/234...

Mucuna and Parkinson’s Disease: Treatment with Natural Levodopa

intechopen.com/books/parkin...

Bibliography on Mucuna Pruriens

healthunlocked.com/parkinso...

hope it helps

rgds

[Lamas79 in reply to Somic67]

thnaks a lot

[Somic67 in reply to jlmerten]

yes, because vit C is acidic and help faster digestion but pls note my comment below to pdpatient

[bepo in reply to jlmerten]

OJ has as much sugar as sodas. They are not good for you. Diet sodas are the worst.

[Jana86]

For those who either want to avoid or have trouble digesting sodas, I get very similar results (speeding uptake) with a 4 oz cup of apple sauce about 20 minutes before taking first meds in the AM. I avoid morning protein and eat a light breakfast of cereal (GF), berries and oat milk about a 45 mins after meds. 6.5 years since diagnosis so have some struggles with off periods. i also find the apple sauce seems to eliminate the nausea and gag reflex response to LD that I have had since starting on meds.

[Despe]

Wouldn't carbonated water do the same thing? Carbonation without the sugar.

[Astra7]

I wonder if it’s the bubbles, the caffeine or the acidity? Interesting that it works more quickly and lasts longer. I chew mine if I’m in a hurry for it to work, but I It seems to run out early.

[Kt088]

I don’t think it matters whether it’s Coke, Dr Pepper or orange soda, as long as it’s carbonated. I chose Ginger ale, it is the healthier of sodas, LOL, if there is such a thing and it helps with the nausea I get, but the fact is, it actually works, at least for me, thanks for the tip. Don’t they make a plain carbonated water? Blessings.

[pdpatient in reply to Kt088]

Hi k1i2t3, I believe that it’s the ascorbic acid, not the carbonation that helps. I rarely drink soda and yes, I have found that it helps particularly on an empty stomach. However, 1/8th tsp of ascorbic acid powder also does the trick.

See sample articles:

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/778...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/156...

[Kt088 in reply to pdpatient]

Thanks, good to know, I thought it was the carbonation. I got plenty of ascorbic acid.

[pdpatient in reply to Kt088]

K1i2t3, whew! Typing your username gives me such as mental workout 😇. Anyways....

I'm absolutely sure that ascorbic acid is supportive of Levodopa. As i showed, this is borrne out by studies. In fact, Ascorbic acid is an ingredient in Rytary.

I too have a huge amount of ascorbic acid I just bought from Bulk supplements. They sell about a kilo for$20! But then, I see that their recommendation is 1/6 of a tsp. I am researching how much is acceptable per day. Not sure how much is a good thing before it becomes a case for "too much of a good thing is a bad thing.".

I will be posting my findings soon. Until then, unless you're able to find out sooner than I, please exercise caution.

[pjcvreis]

Anyone try yogurt as breakfast, after levodopa?