Using Stalevo

[michelbekhazi]

Dear friends,

I am 71 yo and have been diagnosed 2 ys ago. From the start I was put on Sifrol 0.18, 6 tablets per day. Things were generally fine, however, 8 weeks ago onwards, I am straggling with my balance and with walking.

My Nuro told me 5 days go to start phasing Sifrol out and plan on using Stalevo. Please let me know if you had a similar experience or if you are currently using Stalevo. Many thanks,

[Thal]

My neuro added 3 x 200 mg entacapone to my 4 x 300 madopar every 3 hours starting at 8 am 6 weeks ago for a three month trial to see if it works for me regarding some of the possible side effects like diarrhea etc. So far it's ok. The entacapone extends the on time of the madopar approx half hour per dose adding about 2 hours in total. This helps me avoid the fifth dose of madopar that I sometimes take in the early evening. Also the transition between doses seems smoother, I sleep a bit more and my mornings feel a little better. If this works out I will probably not need to increase madopar dosage cause I have pretty well maxed out.

Stalevo I understand is sinemet plus entacapone in one pill in different dosage combinations which will make it more convenient. I also like some of the other properties of entacapone such as it inhibits ferroptosis, and who knows what else. I wish I had started with it from the outset 8 years ago. I might not have been so hesitant on starting levodopa treatment because of its bad reputation which has turned out to be not true. It has actually worked out quite well although dosing has been a challenge at times. My biggest regret has been my flirting with Mucuna because it interferes with dosing and timing of the prescribed levodopa. All on the false guise that it is supposed to be better and more natural which it is not. It is not a good medicine because it is unpredictable and it is not a good herb because the quality is suspect re contamination.

Hope the entacapone / stalevo work. Time will tell.

[michelbekhazi in reply to Thal]

Thank you for the details, this is of help to me,

[Eggcheese]

Hi, my father has tried this a few times as part of his long term treatment. For him it was a wonder drug the first two weeks then a character changing disaster after two weeks. Obviously everybody reacts differently so hopefully you get the first part without the second. One of the warned side effects he experienced was inappropriate actions and suggestions towards the opposite sex, including daughters in law. This was not a character he had ever demonstrated previously or since stopping that medication. It also caused involuntary facial movements which were also no pleasant. The first two weeks were a dream and we thought we had the magic bullet. Obviously you will be working closely with your healthcare professionals and family who will monitor you so hopefully you will not experience any of the these downsides.Good luck.

[michelbekhazi in reply to Eggcheese]

I appreciate discussing the other side of this medicine, good luck for your dad.

[alexafish]

My FIL with Parkinson’s is using Stalevo and we find it has stabilized him.

[michelbekhazi in reply to alexafish]

Thanks for letting me know

[Toogood]

I use stalevo. Fr 2years…it helps me

[michelbekhazi in reply to Toogood]

Thanks for sharing