Mucuna Purens as a source of dopamine

[rustjudge]

I am seriously contemplating mucuna purens for my P D--==PROBABLY CONTRARY TO MY NEURO'S ADVICE. Has anyone used M P successfully and at what doses.? Now I take sinemet , azilect, and comtan. I would appreciate any advice or suggestions or warnings,etc.

[muragod]

Yes I m using as per adovice of Ayurvedic Hospital.Getting in the name of "atmagupta churna" from arya vaidyashala Kottakkaal Kerala.You have to reduce the dose of Sinemet accordingly.Taking 10gms/day in two doses in addition two Sinemet per day.Experiencing good experience.Take expert advice depending on ur condition.

[KuriousKaty]

My partner Jay started using Mucuna several months ago with great results, though he only takes it on an as needed basis, usually 4-5 times a week. He has completely weaned off Sinemet and Mirapex, which he used for several years. He was diagnosed in Nov. of 2009. He is very careful with his diet, take supplements and exercises daily. His most significant symptom is tremor but he does struggle at times with balance and speed problems. However, he's quite functional most of the time without meds.

Mucuna essentially brings all his symptoms under control -- tremor, postural challenges, gait and speed. After experimenting and investigating, we learned it's helpful to use a small amount of carbidopa to support the effectiveness of the Mucuna... it doesn't take much to make a big difference. His neuro is actually very supportive and prescribes Lodosyn (carbidopa) for him. Jay takes Mucuna in tablet form from Himalaya. The nice thing is that it's a standardized amount of LDopa -- 15 mg per tablet -- so you know exactly what you're getting and we think tablet is more convenient than powder.

After MUCH experimenting and documentation, we settled on an effective dose for him at half a tablet of Carbidopa (12.5 mg) combined with 12 tablets of Mucuna, which adds up to 180 mg. of LDopa. This is similar to taking 2 tablets of Sinemet 25/100... with much less Carbidopa... we found he didn't need that much to make the Mucuna effective. However, without that little bit of Carbidopa, the Mucuna wasn't doing much. This dose typically lasts about 4 hours.

He usually takes a dose if he wants extra stability and fluidity... if he's running errands or going to the gym. On days he's working as a videographer, he'll increase the dose a little and has enough stability to use a videocamera smoothly. One thing we're still working on is the wearing off period... which can be unpleasant. Otherwise, this seems to be a great option to the pharmaceuticals, which can be so hard on your whole system. Hope this helps!

[viva in reply to KuriousKaty]

Hi, Susurrus,

thank you for your information. My doctor is also very supportive and i tried Dopa Mucuna by NOW brand 60 mg 2 pills every 4 hours. Reading your comments, i probably did mistake not taking carbidopa understanding that i need it in case of nausea (my doc also gave me the prescription for carbidopa). I gradually felt worse and worse and finally gave up and went back to generic sinemet. it all took only about 10 days with trying dopa mucuna. Now, after reading your post, i am thinking to review and may be go back and try it differently. I am not talking about difference in cost yet - if it would work, i 'll think what to do with it next.

[KuriousKaty in reply to viva]

Hi Viva,

I think it's worth trying again if you want an alternative to Sinemet. By taking the carbidopa with the Mucuna, you're essentially creating the same blend that's in Sinemet... in a much more natural form. The carbidopa helps carry the dopamine across the blood brain barrier, which is why you need it so the Mucuna will work.

We tried without the carbidopa and essentially had no result... but the dose Jay takes now mimics 2 tablets of Sinemet and has about the same effect. It takes about 45 minutes to kick in and will last about 4 hours.

We like the Himalaya brand of Mucuna because it is organic and since he's taking a good amount of it, we wanted to be as free from chemicals as possible. Best of luck to you!

[mymomhaspd in reply to KuriousKaty]

So how do you spread out the dosage of mucana and sinemet. My mom is super dyskinesic, and we have to be careful , cause both sinemet and mucana can send her into that state . Less means stiffness and lack of movement and lately sleepiness . Please help !

[finlander in reply to KuriousKaty]

Susurrus, I am greatly encouraged by your post. I was diagnosed with PD in April, 2011 and have been prescribed the standard pharmaceuticals since then. I would like nothing more than to discontinue Sinemet and Mirapex given their harmful long term and irreversible side effects. Unfortunately, my neurologist is not cooperative. He claims that I would be unable to find Mucuna in accurate dosages. He just keeps increasing my dosages of the drugs. Hence, I need to find a reputable supplier of Mucuna on my own. You mentioned that you obtain Mucuna from "Himalaya" in tablet form. Can you provide the name, location, phone number, website or email address of the supplier? Thank you.

Finlander

[KuriousKaty in reply to finlander]

Hi Finlander,

It should be very easy for you to buy Mucuna online. We get it from a local holistic pharmacy. We like the Himalaya brand because it's organic and since Jay's taking a good amount of it, we wanted to be as free from chemicals as possible. Also, it's standardized so you know exactly how much LDopa you're getting -- 15 mg. per caplet.

Here's a link to one online store but if you google Himalaya Mucuna Pruriens, you should get a range of options.

iherb.com/Himalaya-Herbal-H...

Here's the catch though -- I strongly suggest you take the Mucuna with a small amount of carbidopa (brand name Lodosyn). As I wrote to someone else, by taking the carbidopa with the Mucuna, you're essentially creating the same blend that's in Sinemet... in a much more natural form. The carbidopa helps carry the dopamine across the blood brain barrier, which is why you need it so the Mucuna will work.

We tried without the carbidopa and essentially had no result... but the dose Jay takes now mimics 2 tablets of Sinemet and has about the same effect. It takes about 45 minutes to kick in and will last about 4 hours.

It's too bad your neuro isn't supportive! That's so important. Can you find someone else? Our first neurologist was also difficult to work with so we asked around and switched to someone much better and it has made all the difference. Also, we've put together a team that includes a chiropractor, acupuncturist, massage therapist and naturopath. We only see the neuro twice a year and basically report in on everything Jay is trying and she's very enthusiastic and supportive, though she doesn't provide much guidance in terms of alternative therapies. It was critical to have her support though because we needed a prescription for the carbidopa.

I won't kid you -- it was a very difficult road to get off the Sinemet and Mirapex but Jay feels it was definitely worth it! The Mirapex is especially troubling in terms of long-term effects. He's building his baseline health line in a more natural way and while he still struggles with symptoms, he's actually trying to heal and strengthen, rather than just cover everything up with more and more meds... creating more problems down the road. If you ever have questions, just message me. I'm happy to share whatever we know. Best of luck!

[Rosabellazita in reply to KuriousKaty]

I was never diagnosed. I just have a bad tremor in right hand. been to 5 neuros ..all they do is write prescriptions which I will not take. I have a bottle of mucuna dopa 100 mg 166mg mucuna pruriens seed extract and 100mg L-dopa. do u think this would help with a tremor.. neuro calls it a mixed tremor.. I refuse to go to any more neuros..i take no meds.

[marion11005 in reply to KuriousKaty]

Wow. That's very encouraging! I didn't know the mucuna came in tablets. I've seen it in capsules. Great that Jay could get off the prescriptions!

[KuriousKaty in reply to marion11005]

Hi Marion -- I should have used the word caplets! They're oblong-shaped tablets... but not capsules in the sense that they're not containers that hold something. The brand is Himalaya and it's organic and standardized. You can find it online. Thanks for the encouragement!

[Hidden in reply to KuriousKaty]

Hi,I found your post really interesting. Please could you say if Jay is taking 12 tablets a day or every 4 hours. I have recently been prescribed Madopar but have not started taking it yet as I am researching alternative medicine for PD.

[movinngroovin]

Yes--I do and have used MP for a number of years. It replaces a Sinamet dose, ratio is unclear. Purist form is CHK Nutrition but you must find a provider (chiro, nat doc, acupuncturist...) who sells it. It comes wit urine screens -- all of this is not cheap. Otherwise, search ebay for good prices and experiment. By the way, I suggest you find a new neuro with some information on MP and a heart. Good Luck!

[Birgittehanna]

I Wonder if I can take a small dose of Mucuna together with sinemet and Requip sometimes when I have a bad day.?

[park_bear in reply to Birgittehanna]

Yes, absolutely! I take Sinement CR 25/100 4x day which gets me the required dose of carbidopa. If I need more levodopa I just add Mucuna as necessary,

[mymomhaspd in reply to park_bear]

DO you add it to the sinemet or in between ..

As I just posted - My mom is super dyskinesic, and we have to be careful , cause both sinemet and mucana can send her into that state . Less means stiffness and lack of movement and lately sleepiness . Please help !

[park_bear in reply to mymomhaspd]

I do not suffer from dyskinesia , so in my case makes no difference. In your mom's case you need to calibrate carefully - take notes on what you try and what the result is. The active ingredient in mucuna is levodopa which is also one of the active ingredients in Sinemet, so best to take it in between Sinemet doses.

[chirodoc]

I have poor tolerance to any drug so Have been using Ltyrosine and Macuna for my L-dopa dosing . What I read about is the Carbadopa being the problem and that research suggests that it is not the progression of the disease but it is really the deterioration of the nervous system due to the Carbadopa. Go to Pub Med and put in your key words. We are all the living experiment. Keep as informed as possible.

[Hidden in reply to chirodoc]

searched: deterioration of the nervous system due to the Carbadopa

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/182...

"Current therapy is essentially symptomatic, and L-Dopa (LD), the direct precursor of dopamine(DA), is the treatment of choice in more advanced stages of the disease. Substitution therapy with LD is, however, associated with a number of acute problems."

It and other references seem to suggest postponement of meds till late.

[park_bear in reply to Hidden]

The links you give suggest nothing of the kind. The first is just the Pubmed home page and the seconds says nothing about carbidopa whatsoever. There is a school of thought that thinks that - Hinz et al, but I have not seen this corroborated elsewhere. In any case, the Hinz protocol requires massive quantities of various amino acids custom tailored using their special lab work.

[Pete-1]

Mucuna Pruriens (MP) is only a natural source of Levodopa anyway but without the advantage of Carbidopa or Benseraside.

Also being from a natural source wil contain coutless other chemicals whose effect on human brain tissue, or any human tissue, is unknown / untested.

I must say everyone who reports on MP in this forum seem to get some benefit from.

[Don_oregon_duck]

I take Azilect, Dopa Mucuna and Dopatone. The first is a prescription and the other two are supplements. I started with all three early on so I can not attest to how I would be without taking them, with one exception. One time I ran out of Dopatone for two weeks and I did not think I could tell a difference. But then I went into a severe depression. Within one hour after receiving my new supply my depression went away. Now I am a believer and never wish to run out of it again.

DAT

[mandrews15126]

There is a good book on mp on amazon, it’s cheap. I am only using mp but still pretty early in my Parkinson’s journey