Originally Posted by backpacker11500

Sorry, soapbox got in the way.....50 mg's of standardized L-Dopa from velvet bean or Mucuna (same) each pill is 333 mg 66mg of wjhich are catecholamines (mmm good) and 50 mg is pure L-dopa, so I figured 2 at 100 mg ldopa total would replace 1 25/100 Heromet but it usually takes more depending on your diet and how much you can get across the BBB. I ended up taking it PRN...whenever I needed it.
Peace,
BP with PD since 33.

Originally Posted by backpacker11500

Hello! I hope your wellness level is high today. I used (no longer) Solaray, DopaBean, Mucuna Pruriens and as suggested above I took it with very low doses of Sine CR just for the Carbidopa effect. I never received a carbidopa only script just an idea. I slowly reduced sinemet from 25/100 every 3 hours 24-7 to CR 25/100 BID-2 times a day, to nothing not even mucuna. I felt like I was going to die and believe that I was "walloring" for many months and skating the edge of NMS. I really crawled out of my skin while quitting....just like the off periods but no relief. Now.....I still have tremor, rigidity, and dyskinesia when stressed and a lot of the other PD goodies leading into Stage 3, but I can make love to my wife again (the usual way heheheheh), taste my food instead of car exhaust, pee correctly, not so fatigued, no walloring and no on off, none of the classic heroin addiction symptoms any longer.. I follow a mitochondrial diet and suggest winter cherry or Aswaghanda (same thing) to ease your offs and or anxiety. My progression has slowed dramatically in the past 5 months hopefully because of what im doing but who knows? At the very least Mucuna can replace some of your sinemet doses ( I believe were mostly overdosed) and thereby extend the period of time you have before the big DBS (which I will not do). I don't intend to make anyone angry on this site ( I lurked for a year) but feel that someone doing PD without meds is sufficiently rare that I should put myself up for comparison good bad or indifferent. The greater percentage of complaints across several Neuro type sites seems to be med related and actual PD complaints are taking a back seat.

.Peace, may your Wellness level remain high......
BP with PD since 2003, no meds so I may die naturally......

Originally Posted by soccertese

are you in stage 3? do you exercise?

Originally Posted by soccertese

ok,
will stick with my 800mg/day carbidopa/levodopa. seems like you are still in an experiment with an uncertain outcome. were're all different, i'm doing ok on my avg 800mg/day carbidopa/levodopa combo, exercise and supplements, diagnosed in late 2001.
i wake up off, meds kick in in about 30minutes and i'm stage 1.5 most of the day, my estimate. mucuna has never been any better than carbidopa/levodopa for me, levodopa is a synthesized naturally occurring amino acid, who knows what's in the mucuna one buys or it's potency from batch to batch?

Originally Posted by soccertese

ok, i don"t agree with your opinions and it's obvious we could debate the issues infinitum without changing either's opinions so wish you the best.

people went for years without sinemet until it was released in 1970's(?), i'd guess i'd have to go back to accounts of how people did before sinemet, quality of life and how long was your lifespan before sinemet? knowing that would be enlightening.