[Formydad]

My dad has been having an increasingly difficult time getting around - it seems to have gotten quite a bit worse over the past couple of months (I attributed it over the summer to a great deal of stress, but that situation is over and he's still having issues).
He takes 3 25/100 Sinemet 5 times per day (so 1500 mgs. of levodopa) and gets very variable results. He will have spells where he can't get around hardly at all, and then 20 minutes later, he's fine for a few hours. Then he'll have a week where he's fine, and then 3 or 4 days of feeling super crappy. His neuro over the summer had him try Amantadine, which he didn't notice much of a difference from, so he discontinued.
His last visit his neuro suggested he try Comtan. So it arrived in the mail and he started it today. He took one Comtan with his usual morning dose of 3 Sinemet (oh, and he takes a Sinemet CR at night), then took another Comtan three hours later with his next dose of three Sinemet.
Not long after, he had an episode so bad that he could hardly move. Should he be tapering up on the Comtan and/or tapering down his Sinemet? From reading here and elsewhere, I've noticed that some people take smaller doses, closer together to reduce sudden off times. It seems as though taking an "activator" for the levodopa with just as much as you were taking before would lead to some unwanted side effects, although I would have expected mad dyskensias, not nearly frozen.
Any advice on how to use the Comtan would be appreciated. His primary symptoms are bradykensia and weakness/wobbliness in his legs. His tremor is hardly noticeable (at least to me).
Thank you.

[soccertese]

post your question here, be sure to mention your dad's age, when he was diagnosed, any other meds and other medical conditions.
did he change generics? diet?
http://forum.parkinson.org/index.php...sk-the-doctor/

[wendy s]

When I started contain, I had my first ever nightmare that night -scared my husband as badly as it did me - and I broke out in a rash all over my belly. I decided that comtan was not for me!

[lindylanka]

When I was started on Comtan my neuro recommended that I take one tablet a day with my first dose of levodopa for a full week, then add another to my second dose for a week, and in week three add the third dose. He also advised me to back down and wait a few days more if I had anything unusual. By week four I was taking three a day, and nothing too bad, though I did seem a little overmedicated. I was also not wearing off, so in week five I backed off sinemet by half a tablet on my last dose of the day. Eventually I did this with all three doses, and my PD nurse was amazed later that I had done this with no help.

At that time I was getting an extra 1-2 hours on a quarter less sinemet, which was great for me. I still take Comtan and I am taking somewhat more sinemet, now coming up to 6 years later.