Has anyone noticed the chemical smell that comes with taking Sinemet

[Lawrencium]

I was taking Sinemet and Mirapex and gave up on the sinemet because i couldnt tolerate the smell of it.. Somehow this drug affected my sense of smell and everything i was exposed to. Coffee smelled terrible.. and even my breath had that chemical smell. One friend said he could tell if someone had pk because of the smell and im sure it was from the medication. if you look sinemet up it is called an aromatic amino acid deca... so i am only on Mirapex now and awaiting the long overdue time release version to be allowed in Canada..

[ronn]

This could be another " chicken or the egg" situation in which different people have had different experiences as part of the Parkinson package. I went through the "chemical smell" stage of anosmia some years ago and only learned later that loss of the sense of smell is often one of the earliest symptoms of PD. In my case,at least, the terrible chemical smell came and went (leaving me with no sense of smell), before I started PD medications.

Good luck in finding something that works for you.

[Lawrencium]

Thankyou for your reply.Ronn I have been off Sinemet for less than a week and my sense of smell has returned to normal ..My first clue that the smell was related to sinemeet was this finding that "Levodopa, an aromatic amino acid and Carbidopa, an inhibitor of aromatic amino acid decarboxylation,.".rxlist.com/sinemet-drug.htm Aromatic relates to smell ... If people with pk have a decreased sense of smell then maybe most of us are missing this side effect...

[Pete-1]

In chemistry an aromatic hydrocarbon is a chemical with alternating double and single bonds between carbon atoms forming rings. The term 'aromatic' was assigned before the physical mechanism determining aromaticity was discovered, and was derived from the fact that many of the compounds have a sweet scent. Therefore the link between the term aromatic and chemical is not about smell but the type of chemical, being considered, i.e. one based on the benzine ring and it is quite possible to have an aromatic hydrocarbon with no smell at all.

[Lawrencium in reply to Pete-1]

Thank you Pete , the scent is not so sweet though but definitely there.

[olpilot]

At about the time I was dx with PD my sense of smell of things real was gone. With three dogs not always so bad, however when I was first given sinemet I developed a fantome smell that was almost unimagineable, and unbearable. I asked about it and was told it maybe another form of hallucination. After about 6 months it went away, only occasionally returning with just a hint, and for just a momentary visit. I found the meds to helpful to give up. Now on requip, azilect,and amantadine with no noticable side effects except tired.

[Lawrencium in reply to olpilot]

olpilot , perhaps the smell wasnt a phantom smell but actually real. and you just got used to it.

[olpilot in reply to Lawrencium]

No, it wasn't real, I was the only one who could smell it, I made my wife get all new bed pillows annd shampoo carpeting. It was more the rotting flesh type. I've read about in PD books, but it's gone as is my sense of smell before and after. The brain can play plenty of tricks on a person.

[Hidden]

I read some time ago about Phantom smells and PD I was often offended by the most horrid stink of rotting flesh in the house and outside, no one else could smell it. It was not until I looked it up that people get Phantom smells in their nostrils I had never heard of it before.

I also got delightful smells of Wild Violets I was even told by someone it was something to do with the Spirit world, but as I dont drink they must have meant ethereal ones.

since I have been taking medication I have not smelt anything.

[Lawrencium]

Since posting this question i have found that alot of people with parkinsons have complaints of bad smells and of course since we have brain issues we are told that these are phantoms. However most people with pk have been treated with sinemet or one of the two ingredients. so i am not convinced that these odours are phantoms...Try grinding up a pill and smelling it and you may have your answer or at least a clue.