Body weight
 

Hi Bluedahlia,
You are 115 pounds, I am 125.
This is getting interesting. Can we classify response to levodopa according to body weight.

PWP Body weight High L-Dopa sensitivity Sweating
Bluedahlia 115 pounds ? yes
Ron 125 pounds yes yes
Lindy high BMI No ?
Conductor 71 high BMI No ?

I can't get the table in line, when I save, it closes up.
If we could fill in more gaps, and maybe include dyskinesia, it may show a healthy metabolism is the way to go for response to l-dopa. However, is this at the expense of suffering sweating and dyskinesia?
Any more data??
Ron

Hi Ron,

I'm highly dyskinetic with very few off times. Only thing that puts me "off" is if I eat protein.

Thank you all for this post. Please add my info to the data. I am having similiar issues- continual weight loss, sweating and alot of dyskinesia. I have struggled with being overweight all my life and now I am too thin.
Ron, I seem to be having a similiar sensitivity to the L-Dopa. It would be interesting to find out more information and if there is anything we can do to change our metabolism.

Suzie

Interesting...
 

Ron,

I am now at the most I've ever weighed, I gained 20 lbs after my son was born despite eating very little; I am suspecting it is the agonist. I am at 160 lbs. I can have mild dyskinesia but only when I overlap dosages too closely; it looks more like restless legs. Before I gained the weight I did sweat but not profusely, now I get flushed but do not sweat.

Ran across from a study in Neurological Sciences (Arabia 2002)

Women were significantly lighter and more dyskinetic than men, and had greater AUC-l values. Our data suggest that during long-term treatment, lighter PD patients, especially women, may receive a greater cumulative dosage of levodoper kilogram of body weight. This could explain gender differences for the development of levodopa-induced peak-dose dyskinesias observed during the course of the disease.

Should folks be asking their doctors about this? I would if ever in a million years I weighed 115 lbs again. :rolleyes: Not sure much can be done yet this is another example of why we need an alternate delivery system than the oral route. Wasn't there talk of a nasal delivery or inhaler?

May I ask how much "on" time the lighter weight folks experience from one levodopa dose?


Laura

I'm on 100/25 levo/carb, five tablets a day and come on pretty quickly (must eat something non-protein to push it through), and stay "on" pretty much of the day, unless I eat protein. If I eat anything protein, then I'm "Off" and stay that way, no matter what.

However, my "ons" are a mess of dyskinesias......continuous. My DBS surgery is a go....apparently I'm a prime candidate. Am on a waiting list. I do not tremor. My major problem is rigidity. I'm just another "brick" in the wall...........literally. hehe

When I started this journey 11 yrs. ago, I was 145 lbs.

I will try and get the table in line but it closes up each time. I've cracked it, put full stops between the figures and it can't close up!!
There is a clear pattern emerging, slim folk have a high l-dopa sensitivity, and suffer sweating and dyskinesia.
Heavier folk need more sinemet, and don't have heavy dyskinesia or sweating.

Laura, Interesting idea to include how long a dose lasts,
I get about 3 hours from 50mg L-Dopa, and 2 hours from 25mg.
I dare not take 100mg, I would be through the roof with dyskinesia and sweating. (Funny, sweating is hardly ever discussed in medical papers, yet it clearly is a problem.)

NAME ………WEIGHT……….L-DOPA SENSITIVE……….SWEATING……………..DYSKINESIA
Blue Dahlia. !...115……..… !..........yes............. ………!...... Yes……………!........ Yes
Ron …………!....125………..!........yes…………………..!...... .. Yes …….......!........ Yes
Lindy………!. High BMI…….!......No…………………….....!........ .?....... .......!.......?
Laura……..!.. High BMI…..!....... No.....................!.........?...............! ........?
Soozie……!... Low BMI……!......Yes……………………!........Yes…………….....!.... .....Yes




If we could fill in the missing data it would add to the statistics.
Please let me know if I have got any data wrong.
I will be away all next week on holiday, so maybe somreone else could take over filling in the gaps
Ron

Yes to sensitivity for me too.

Bluedahlia,
Table updated.

Any more info folks
Ron

I take 6 taplets of 100/25 Levo/Carb per day. My "on" time is about 2 hrs for the first couple of doses and is then it's all over the place. Like you Bluedahlia, my "ons" are alot of dyskinesias and are continuous. Protein is a real problem for me too. I am curious what non-protein you find works best to "push it through". Taking my meds on a empty stomach is not working very well. Also struggling with cramping in my feet and legs and I assume that is wearing off dystonia.
I am also in the process of evaluation for DBS...but very anxious about the surgery. My journey with PD is only about 4 yrs and I have lost 70 lbs.

Suzie

I usually take my meds then have a bran muffin and a coffee. That gets me moving in 15 - 20 minutes. For all my other doses, I'll have fruit or juice.....something sweet usually does the trick. Chocolate is a sure thing but the dyskinesia is unbearable.