Yesterday I went to my doctor with a question: Can I replace stalevo with mucuna pruriens, on the grounds that the first is a chemical drug whereas the second is a natural plant extract.
She said NO, because
1) You cannot control the amount of l-dopa contained in each mucuna capsule, so there is a chance of overdosing, which can be toxical
2) There is no difference for your body whether you receive l-dopa from a drug of from a plant
What's your opinion? Have you ever tried this? How did it work?
Written by
christos_k
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If we are adjusting or changing meds I think we need a good knowledge of the meds and their actions on the body. For instance stalevo has three ingredients its a composite drug. So technically you cant replace stelevo with mucuna puriens, they are not the same.
That seems like a reasonable answer. Nevertheless, we all agree that whatever substance (vitamins, minerals etc) we receive through our food chain is absorbed better than the chemically processed one. For example it is healthier to take vitamin c from eating oranges than it is taking a pill. On the other hand, mucuna is also a pill, which means that it has been processed as well...
The well manufactured, processed mucuna powder is checked for levodopa content, so your Dr's statement that you cannot control the levodopa intake is incorrect. I am using Mucuna 40% and it is very constant. The might be Mucuna that is refined without levodopa content potency, I would not use those products.
Carol, You didn't ask me, but as one who follows the Hinz protocol, I can answer. As I mentioned elsewhere, I am taking 4.4 gm/dose of MP 40% and 1-3 doses per day. Your dose will need to be customized to you. My naturopath told me a year ago most of his Hinz patients take much more, namely 30-40 gm/day.
No, nothing else. I do have a lot of "off time" since 1-2 doses gives me only about 4-8 hours of "on time." Taking these meds (supplemts) is a small nuisance and I am lazy about it. If I don't have a social engagement, I usually just put up with the tremors--my main symptom--and skip the meds. It seems to me that the tremors are most severe and hard to put up with for about an hour or two after the meds go off. My default response -- if I am at home --is to lie down and escape into sleep or relaxation if I can. (An ambitious person who begrudges down-time would probably just take the darned meds and get on with his life.)
thanks for your input... was diagnosed 5 1/2 years ago and my main complaints are my walking, falls, speech and handwriting. started the hinz protocol on 1/22 and am having problems with it. anyway I am determine to make it work so have not given up. also I was on Sinemet for 5 years...am wondering if that is why I am have so many problems with the hinz protocol.
Carol, I was on Sinemet and Azilect for 1.5 years before switching to Hinz. Because of my distrust of pharmaceuticals, I only took one pill of each per day (25/100 of Sinemet and 1 mg of Azilect.) Then I went cold turkey on them and the transition to Hinz was smooth.
thanks dumpelkin, I was on 7 Sinemet a day and 1 sinemet cr at night...you were smart to take only 1 Sinemet...that is how I started then gradually increased it as symptoms increased... just heard about the hinz and started it in jan. am determined to not to give up thanks so much for your input.
The remaining 60% is elements in mucuna other than the L-Dopa. Two reasons to prefer 40% mucina:
A) 40% mucuna is required for the Hinz protocol;
B) Animal models suggest that mucuna contains some valuable, synergistic, active ingredients other than just L-Dopa. These beneficial ingredients would be missing from 100% mucuna.
I take Stalevo (Carbidopa 50mg / Levodopa 200mg / Entacapone 200mg); 2 pills morning dose; 1 pill afternoon dose; 1 pill evening dose. With the morning and afternoon dose I take a tablespoon of Zandopa powder for my Mucuna. Also, 500mg B1 HCL with the morning and afternoon dose. In addition, 1/64 teaspoon NutriVita 100% pure L-Dopa with the morning dose.
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