Advice welcomed please - swapping from Sinemet slow release 100mg to Stavelo 75mg.

[Yogibear]

Good morning everyone,

Love to you all.

I am in a great mood this morning as yipppeee I have slept right through for 7 hours!!!!

I have been having trouble with "Wear off" whilst taking Sinemet slow release and experiencing too much tone in my legs.

I had been taking CR every 5 hours. Because I was in so much pain with muscle knots and muscles straining. Plus after scrutinising my medication log notiebook. I decided to change to taking CR religiously every 3.5hrs right through from 7am each day.

Hey presto muscle contraction has stopped and I feel much more relaxed and better.

Anyways today I collect Stavelo 75 which has arrived at my pharmacy. I am not sure I want to swap over now I have been doing okay on the CR. I guess I should follow my consultants advice though. I am also waiting on a referral from the Channel Islands to a London hospital in the meantime.

Any suggestions on how I should tackle the Stavelo. I was going to take it before I go to bed and carry on with it tomorrow. If the CR is doing wll in my system at every 3.5hrs how should I space the Stavelo 75 as I know it is stronger with the added ingredient and should last longer in my system.

Love from

Do not want to rock the boat

Channel Islands.

[Hidden]

I don't know what CR is, but I take Amantadine 100mg 2 times daily, Stalevo 100mg 4 times daily, Carb/Levo 100mg ½ 2 times daily. It works well for me.

I also exercise and have my husband rub my legs to help with the cramps.

Hoping you will get the right combination for your body.

[Beachdog in reply to Hidden]

CR=ER=controlled or extended release. Pop a pill and it dispenses the good stuff over a period of time ;o)

[PatV]

Did your doctor give you a schedule for titrating, that is, swapping one med a day for the other? Extremely important not to switch all at once. I have tried sinemet, sinemet cr and stalevo. Right now I'm on sinemet 5x a day with an occasional sinemet cr if I have some extra exertion. I have decided I will never again swap drugs. The transition is too rough for me. My dystonia is abdominal. Ugh. Good luck, yogibear

[Carrigan]

Good advise about not switching all at once, Stalevo a god send of my husband, but it is all trial and error what suits one does not suit another, Good luck though and keep trying xxx

[Yogibear]

thank you. I am being quite blonde and am not sure what you mean by not switching all at once? What I have done is:-

I have completed stopped Sinemet slow release.

Since bed-time last night I have been taking Stavelo 75 every 6 hours.

I have had one blip where it wore off after 4.5hrs in the middle of the day after I had done some housework. I took a Stavelo and a Madopar Booster and am hopefully going to be back on track again.

???

[Yogibear]

the doctor just said stop the CR and take the Stavelo 3 times a day. 3 is not going to be enough for me and I am not going to spend hours being totally uncomfortable to stick to that. As soon as I feel wear off I take a tablet and make a note of time, how I feel etc and let a pattern appear.

[Yogibear]

So it looks like I am going from 600mg of levodopa a day on Sinemet CR to 375mg per day levodopa on Stavelo.

Does this sound right. I do not understand dosages/titration at all.

[Yogibear]

How to transfer patients not currently treated with entacapone to Stalevo

Initiation of Stalevo may be considered at corresponding doses to current treatment in some patients with Parkinson's disease and end-of-dose motor fluctuations, who are not stabilised on their current standard release levodopa/DDC inhibitor treatment

????