Hi all-

I'm from over at the Parkinson's forum and we have been discussing glycemic issues as they relate to PD. I would like to ask you for comment based on your experience.

This started with a study which indicated that the primary medication we depend on, ldopa, has a little known effect on our blood sugar. It triggers a slow but increasingly fast rise in BS for about two hours. Then it shoots up to a peak and quickly collapses back to baseline. The levels stay within what are considered normal levels but the effect on the PD symptoms is almost incapacitating. Because the spike is transient it would not show up on normal testing.

I used a glucometer last week to test this and found it to be true, at least in my case. I am normally around the 90 to 95 range (US) and that morning started at 92 and took my meds. Over the next two hours it climbed to 107 and then over the course of thirty minutes shot up to 128. Then over the next fifteen it dropped to about 110 and thirty more found it back in the mid 90s. At least two others have reported similar experiences.

During the spike, motor symptoms were so bad that i could barely walk or type. Cognitively there was brain fog and tunnel vision. There was a heavy need to urinate.

This all faded over two hours.

This seems to be what is labelled "non-diabetic hyperglycemia" and may affect as many as 80% of PWP to one degree or another yet is barely known. Given that we are typically on a two to four hour medication cycle the condition is easily masked.

Any thoughts on this? The idea that we are on a stealth roller coaster of artificially induced hyperglycemia opens up a whole new avenue of management of PD.

Thanks - Rick Everett