Doesn’t the Half-Life of C/L apply only to, while in the bloodstream and once Levodopa crosses the BBB it is stored until used?

[Gcf51]

I posed a question in a comment and have not received an answer.

I am thinking that once L-dopa crosses the BBB it is stored until used (maybe as dopamine). And, Half-Life is how long it stays in your Blood Stream.

The plasma half-life of levodopa is about 50 minutes, without carbidopa. When carbidopa and levodopa are administered together, the half-life of levodopa is increased to about 1.5 hours. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailym...

Note: because I changed the title, I reposted. My experience is; a link to a changed title will take you to page not found,

[park_bear]

This is a good topic. Personally I have found that the effects of levodopa medication last a lot longer than the duration in the plasma.

[Gcf51 in reply to park_bear]

Probability the reason someone can take B6 within hours of taking C/L and not have problems.

[WinnieThePoo]

No. Normally levadopa is decarboxylated in the brain and the body. Peripheral levadopa conversion to dopamine is at best wasteful, at worst toxic. Levadopa has a half life of 1-3 hours. If it is combined with a DDCI like Carbidopa, it is inhibited from conversion to dopamine in its presence. Carbidopa is incapable of crossing the BBB and so allows more levadopa to cross into the brain, where it is converted at the same rate. But dopamine is also incapable of crossing the BBB - it's a 2 way thing, so the dopamine made in the brain stays there until used. That is why the effects of taking oral L/C last longer than levadopas half life.

[Boscoejean in reply to WinnieThePoo]

I guess what I find puzzling is that when my husband takes the compounded carbidopa with mucuna one time in the morning he seems to have benefits pretty much throughout the day and does not have to experience symptoms that are so often mentioned that are associated with having the standard carbidopa/levodopa medication wear off- maybe we are just lucky in this respect and not sure how long this will be helpful but the naturopath we saw mentioned that one of her patients was able to maintain on this combination for over 8 years and then eventually started using the standard medication

[Gcf51 in reply to Boscoejean]

Are you saying, he doesn't take mucuna or C/L for the rest of the day.

[Boscoejean in reply to Gcf51]

yes

[Gcf51 in reply to Boscoejean]

How much C/L did he take before he started the carbidopa/mucuna

[Boscoejean in reply to Gcf51]

he never took C/L. The neurologist wanted him to start it right away but he held off and did not even start the other until 2 years after diagnosis. It is possible he could have been diagnosed earlier however when he saw the neurologist in 2017 he was not willing to say if he had essential tremor or Parkinson's. He did not return to the neurologist and the neurologist retired then covid happened then we decided we wanted to schedule an appointment at OHSU because I thought maybe they would have the latest in what could help. It took 6 months to get in to the neurologist there and the appointment was a complete disappointment. He saw the neurologist there in September 2021 with a return visit January, 2022. We were not excited about going back to this neurologist but he is no longer there anyway. In the meantime I found out about a naturopath who practices at OHSU and she is also a researcher. She is not a neurologist but she was incredibly thorough and was very helpful. She has been working with patients with Parkinson's for several years so she has a lot of knowledge about research in the field.

[Gcf51 in reply to Boscoejean]

"did not even start the other" other as in carbidopa/mucuna

[JayPwP in reply to Boscoejean]

Does this naturopath take online patients?

[Boscoejean in reply to JayPwP]

I do not know if the naturopath that we saw at OHSU does remote visits because we went there in person.

[JayPwP in reply to Boscoejean]

Thanks. Please would you share her email address if any. I will contact her directly.Please PM me separately.

[Smittybear7 in reply to Boscoejean]

where is OHSU?

[Boscoejean in reply to Smittybear7]

Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, Oregon

[Smittybear7 in reply to Boscoejean]

thank you

[CuriousMe12 in reply to Boscoejean]

Where do you source your mucuna and carbidopa from ?

[Boscoejean in reply to CuriousMe12]

our naturopath wrote a prescription for the carbidopa and we get it from a local compounding pharmacy - I know the pure mucuna powder is considered the best but so far we have just used the capsules and they are not a real high percent but we use the ones that have met purity guidelines

[CuriousMe12 in reply to Boscoejean]

Thanks. Not sure what route I'd take in the UK.

[JayPwP in reply to Boscoejean]

I think it would be good if you make a detailed post on your husband's protocol... What, when, how and why? Please include Diet, exercise, medications, supplements, alternative therapies along with measurements and timings...

Apologies if done already...

[Meg024 in reply to Boscoejean]

What dosage of Macuna (and what brand?) and carbidopa does your husband take?

[Boscoejean in reply to Meg024]

Carbidopa is 20 mg and Now and Doublewood capsules are 15%

[Meg024 in reply to Boscoejean]

Thank you, can you share a link to the source of the carbidopa, please?

[Gcf51 in reply to Meg024]

I am not sure what's available in South Africa. She says she gets the carbidopa... from a local compounding pharmacy. Macuna, capsules 15% brands Now and Doublewood, should be available at a multitude of places. either Now, Doublewood or Amazon.

[Meg024 in reply to Gcf51]

Thank you

[Boscoejean in reply to Meg024]

The compounded carbidopa was prescribed by a naturopathic doctor and made by a compounding pharmacy.

[Meg024 in reply to Boscoejean]

Thanks

[Ghmac in reply to Boscoejean]

Boscoejean - can you tell me what your think these symptoms are? does not have to experience symptoms that are so often mentioned that are associated with having the standard carbidopa/levodopa medication wear off- My husband has just started taking C/L due to a reaction to covid and I am not sure about what these symptoms might be.

Thank you

[Boscoejean in reply to Ghmac]

he does not have dyskinesia, dystonia, excessive slowness, and major increase in tremor that some individuals who take sinemet have when it wears off- there is generally no sharp drop in the benefits of the combination he takes

[Ghmac in reply to Boscoejean]

Thank you

[park_bear in reply to WinnieThePoo]

Has any data been published on the duration of levodopa derived dopamine in the brain?

[WinnieThePoo in reply to park_bear]

I don't think there is any distinction between ldopa derived dopamine and "natural" dopamine. Dopamine systems are complicated, and there is much recycling.

[Gcf51 in reply to WinnieThePoo]

There probably isn't anyway to tell the difference, except maybe if the levodopa was a radioisotope.

[Gcf51 in reply to WinnieThePoo]

"dopamine made in the brain stays there until used" implies storage. That is if levodopa is converted to dopamine in the brain.

Added Note: "Thus, l-dopa is coadministered with drugs that block peripheral metabolism, including the AADC inhibitor carbidopa. Even with these drugs, up to 56% of l-dopa fails to reach the brain." science.org/doi/10.1126/sci...

[JMDean in reply to WinnieThePoo]

This is the correct answer