bradykinesia?

[TheresaCurley]

Has your medication helped with general slowness? I noticed a slowness in moving (I believe that is bradykinesia?) before I was diagnosed. Now that I'm taking Sinemet it seems to have improved greatly.

Sometimes I think my mind (not my brain) is fooling me into believing what I want to believe.

[Bailey_Texas]

Of course the Sinemet helps with slowness it helps with all symptoms of PD. It can and has for me completely controlled all my symptoms. I have all symptoms except tremor. I am in my 10th year of being DX. and looking back maybe 25 or 30 years of on and off symptoms. I now take CARBIDOPA/LEVODOPA

(Sinemet) in 2 forms 50/200 er and 25/100 along with Requip 24 hour. Yes your mind can convince you and make your body react to the Sinemet. It is called the placebo effect. The placebo effect is real in some PWP they have the same effect as CARBIDOPA/LEVODOPA

. Their brain chemistry changes just like they had a dose of CARBIDOPA/LEVODOPA

.

[paddyfields in reply to Bailey_Texas]

Apparently PWP's are particularly susceptible to the placebo effect.

[TheresaCurley in reply to paddyfields]

Woooo -- didn't know that. Geese so it's hard to really know if it is the med that is causing the improvement or the mind convincing you it is.

[Bailey_Texas in reply to TheresaCurley]

either way it is a good thing just go with the flow

[park_bear in reply to TheresaCurley]

Positive expectations can cause the release of dopamine, which /is/ actually therapeutic.

I highly recommend the book Brain Storms: The Race to Unlock the Mysteries of Parkinson's Disease by Jon Palfreman which talks about this and provides other insights.

[Enidah in reply to Bailey_Texas]

Bailey, do you have any problem with dyskinesia? I actually am breaking my 25 - 100 sinemet in half to take half at a time because otherwise the dyskinesia starts bothering me. I am envious of people who don't have that problem and can take more meds.

[Bailey_Texas in reply to Enidah]

I have a combination of dystonia and dyskinesia about 2 or three times month always at night and can last up to 2 hours. I am talking about moving and twitching muscle spasms with ever muscle in my body all at once. I can not breath during these all body spasms and they last up to a minute. I contort in all kinds of ways, in a ball, straight as a board, in a v shape with my head and feet of the bed. I am in great shape and quite strong so the strain is very painful at times. Then it is over with and i may be a little sore the next day but not much. I don't like the times when this happens but am happy to go through with it for all the good times i have.

[Enidah in reply to Bailey_Texas]

Wow! That sucks! It's like you get it all over with in one horrible go. Dyskinesia is painful. When I'm really tense and over medicated it hurts from all the tense muscles. If I'm under medicated it hurts from the dystonia in my back and of course I'm slow and almost useless. The phrase, weak as a kitten, comes to mind. I'm always trying to walk a very thin line with my meds and have given up any schedule for taking them. I just listen to how I'm feeling. Well, at least I'm not bored!

[Bailey_Texas in reply to Enidah]

What meds do you take and when

[Enidah in reply to Bailey_Texas]

Bailey, do you take Rytary? I can't remember what I've read.

I take 3 or 4, 25 - 100 sinemet a day. You're right about working or exercising. When I'm doing those things I never notice dyskinesia and can take more meds.

[Bailey_Texas in reply to Enidah]

Over time i believe you can take more without problems

[Bailey_Texas in reply to Enidah]

i exercise a lot and it keeps the side affects at bay during the day. If i am moving or working i forget i have pd. When things slow down in the evening is when i have most of my Problems. The key is to stay busy in your mind or physically or both.

[Serenity_finaly-1 in reply to Enidah]

I went 5 years breaking my sinemet in half. If God wanted us to cut our sinemet in half he would not have created Rytary. Yes that is Rytary, ask for it by name.

[Enidah in reply to Serenity_finaly-1]

Hahaha! You may be right, although I have read Rytary can cause worse dyskinesia. What do you think?

[Serenity_finaly-1 in reply to Enidah]

Try it you'll like it. But seriously it was the genesis of the chemical cocktail that is helping me feel much like my old self. Just remember you are changing your brain chemistry so give it time. For me about 2 months.

[Enidah in reply to Serenity_finaly-1]

Will do. Thank you!

[ruthgt in reply to Bailey_Texas]

Do you have sideafect from the carbidopa levodopa?

[TheresaCurley in reply to ruthgt]

So far I have found any side effects tolerable. I take so much medication that I don't know what side effects are from what. A day doesn't go by that I don't have at least one bout of queezie stomach.....but that was happening before the Sinemet.

[Hikoi]

Theresac

Definitely helps bradykenesia and That's one of the main PD symptoms. Glad you are having such a good response.