My Dr. tells me to take 2-25/100, 3 times a day of Carbidopa/Levo. Because of "what ever" I end up taking only 2 pills in the AM and don't get the others taken. I feel pretty good most of the day. The evening seems to be my quite time normally.
My question is if i am getting alone with just two per day, should I just stay the course? Does staying on 2 pills 3 times daily help ward off the progression?
Hi you are lucky taking only 2 tablets a day. It doesn't stop ¨PD but makes life a bit easier. I started off with only 3 tablets/day, 10 yrs later I take 12/day, and are up for a DBS.
This sounds like a great question to ask your doctor, especially if your doctor is a very competent movement disorder specialist. Personally, were I the one asking your question I would be tempted to experiment for a while at the prescrbed rate just to give myself an opportunity to go back to talk to the doc about your comparison at the two levels - namely the one you find yourself on now as well as the prescribed level. Watch for any evidence as to how it impacts your PD symtoms as well as watching carefully the impact on the side effects of your medication. I found that a great number of my side effects totally disappeared after cutting my intake by half after having my DBS surgery.
However, to my knowledge, there is no medication available to ward off the progression. Azilect was at fiest thought to do so, but further studies have not borne this out. At this point in time the only thing that appears to ward off progression is a good exercise regimen
From what I have read and heard from several neurologists; after about six years taking levadopa, it does not work as well. The less you take the better. One neurologist kept upping my dose until I was taking 15 per day. Next, she wanted me to have DBS. I asked her about exercising to reduce my meds and not have DBS. She said nobody does that. I started walking 2 miles per day, and cut back slowly to only 4 pills per day. I still take only 4 pills a day after having PD for 12 tears +. I my opinion the less meds the better; they all have side effects...
I am in the same situation I take 1tablet 3@ but many times I don't take 2nd tablet and it seems kike there is no diffference in my condition I do exercease daily bike and walk and to me and those arond me seem fine So!!
I can't exercise without meds. And if I try--agony. My neurologist, who's a research doc, says to stay undermedicated because in the long run levidopa has its own bad side effects. So I try.
if you are taking Carbidopa Levadopa er - then you are taking extended release and this is a more even flow. I take 25 er 4 times a day and don't experience a "down" time very often - usually late morning when my first dose of the day is wearing off - usually 11:00 or thereabout
I am a volunteer with the Michael J Fox Foundations research. I know that they want reliable statistics in order to mark progress etc. I kept "forgetting" to take my third med because, as the day progressed, I felt better. When I told this to the Doctor she told me "This isn't like Tylenal.You have Parkinson's, not a headache. Take all three pills, one at 6AM one at noon and the third at 6PM otherwise the medicine won't work properly". Yes Maam!
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