has a brief explanation of LDN action based on previous work by Dr. Zagon and may also be what happens with low-dose DM. It goes something like this:
The small dose of of this opioid antagonist blocks certain opioid receptors for a short period of time just before the period of sleep in which the endorphins such as methionine enkephalin are produced by the adrenal and pituitary glands. This short inhibition stimulates increased production of endorphins and their opioid receptors in the brain.

If you want to read the actual text, here is the link to the site.
http://www.lowdosenaltrexone.org/index.htm
Since the endorphins and enkephalins are our natural "feel good" hormones, and are involved in regulating a varitey of cells of the immune system such as brain microglia, this combination of effects may be at the bottom of both Steve's lift in mood and the neuroprotection we are hoping for.
Robert

Stupid question: Would a combination of a teaspoon of cough syrup and taking a Malatonin tablit help you fall asleep faster?

Vicky

There are no stupid questions.
I don't think the cough syrup would help one fall asleep, at least at the very small doses that I take.
A single dose of melatonin probably would not either. Melatonin apparently is helpful in resetting our circadian "clock" in the case of jet lag.
It worked for me last Spring when I travelled to Greece, Turkey and Israel, especially on the return to the US from Israel.
I continued taking the DM syrup through that time and did not notice any effect of combining DM and melatonin.

Robert

How's your experiment going?
-Rick

Hi Rick..This has been a bad week to take notes..I came down with a real bad stomach bug on Sunday thats been going around which amounts to a real bad case of Montezuma's Revenge..Im still weak from it and didnt leave the house untill Wednesday..(yesterday)....But throughout it all I still had more movement ability than I had before I began the DM regimen, except for last night..I felt well enough to get out of the house and I got so carried away with household chores etc that I neglected because of the sickness, that I completely forgot to take my meds at 2:00 in the afternoon..I took a nap at 4:00, and got up at around 6:00, and went and reached for my bathrobe with my bad arm so that I could hit the shower, and the arm was stiff, and I realized why, so I went and grabbed my daily med container, and there were Wednesday afternoons meds still in it..Actually I noticed a difference when I was getting out of bed..I felt like I had broken the chain, and the meds didnt rescue me..I was stiff and weak last night..Today I went out grocery shopping and picked up my income taxes, and rested for the remainder of the day..I am still weak from that stomach bug, but my movements are reasonably fluid today..Ive noticed that I can screw and unscrew a soda bottle cap with much more ease than before I started taking the DM..Basically Ive been resting all week because I was so sick Sunday and Monday I fear relapse..I would honestly say that inspite of being sick all week my pd symptoms werent as bad as they probably would have been otherwise

Steve

DM must work remarkably quickly if it helped you in spite of the stomach flu, Steve. Most of what you ate and drank must have rushed right through you while you were sick, but the DM was absorbed and effectve, and that is very impressive.
I am going to try it, it sounds very promising - especially promising to me is that it also improved your balance.
Many thanks to all in this thread for yet another possible medicine that is easily found, readily available, inexpensive and potentially really helpful.

birte

Its certainly worth a shot Birtie..I did something this morning that I havent done in a very long time..I slipped both feet into my slippers without touching them with my hands..and without a struggle..This was near imposible with my right foot for a long time

Be sure to check out the Dextromethorphan precautions

I've gone back and read about dextromethorphan and naltrexone, which I take as low dose naltrexone or LDN, and was surprised to learn that they are both dopamine agonists like Mirapex which I also take. My reason for taking naltrexone, off label, for the past 32 months is to hopefully slow or halt PD progression. I can't say I have seen the movement benefit that Steve has seen because I wasn't looking for it when I first began LDN (maybe I saw an improvement in balance). I can say that I don't seem to have progressed but I don't know why. The point of taking either of these drugs (opioid receptor agonists) at a low dose, is to slow or halt progression.
The research done by Dr. Zagon and Dr. Hong emphasize that somehow these opioid drugs work within a low dose window and that to exceed the dose level could make the disease worse. Dr. Hong believes PD is the result of activated microglia cells which cause inflamation and the loss off dopamine cells (he has shown that femtomolar doses of naloxone protect rodent brains against this inflamation). So in the case of naltrexone, which has been used daily at doses of 50 to 100mg for substance abuse, it would not be a good idea to take a 50mg pill for PD (LDN has to be compounded as 4.5mg capsule).
If there is a doctor here or neurologist, are you aware that the drugs mentioned above are dopamine agonists like Mirapex and have they been used to treat PD? These are pretty inexpensive drugs compared to Mirapex. Do you have any comment on the use of these drugs at a low dose to slow PD progression other than not to take them? People mention liver damage but so far there has been no news of people on LDN or DM having this problem at these levels.
Ashley

dopamine agonist definition:
http://www.parkinsonsdisease.com/pcp/PCP7D.HTM

naltrexone: note, can be Rx by doctor, Revia, if you have a substance abuse problem and then you can make you own LDN.
http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH...91/339954.html
Naltrexone has been used for the treatment of alcoholism since its 1994 approval by the federal Food and Drug Administration. Naltrexone acts as an opioid antagonist within the opioid neurotransmitter system, which is a part of the brain's reward system. When opioids are stimulated, levels of a neurotransmitter called dopamine are increased. Dopamine activity is thought to be key to experiencing the "high" of a variety of different drugs, including alcohol. Naltrexone achieves its effects by "blocking" this domino-type chain of events that lead to the desire to continue drinking. In short, naltrexone decreases the rewarding effects of drinking and reduces the craving for alcohol that often leads people to relapse.

Sorry about the formatting. Notice that there is research back 15 years.

1: Zhang W, Shin EJ, Wang T, Lee PH, Pang H, Wie MB, Kim WK, Kim SJ, Huang WH, Wang Y, Zhang W, Hong JS, Kim HC. Related Articles, Links
Abstract 3-Hydroxymorphinan, a metabolite of dextromethorphan, protects nigrostriatal pathway against MPTP-elicited damage both in vivo and in vitro.
FASEB J. 2006 Dec;20(14):2496-511.
PMID: 17142799 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
2: Li G, Cui G, Tzeng NS, Wei SJ, Wang T, Block ML, Hong JS. Related Articles, Links
Free Full Text Femtomolar concentrations of dextromethorphan protect mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons from inflammatory damage.
FASEB J. 2005 Apr;19(6):489-96.
PMID: 15790998 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
3: Zhang W, Qin L, Wang T, Wei SJ, Gao HM, Liu J, Wilson B, Liu B, Zhang W, Kim HC, Hong JS. Related Articles, Links
Free Full Text 3-hydroxymorphinan is neurotrophic to dopaminergic neurons and is also neuroprotective against LPS-induced neurotoxicity.
FASEB J. 2005 Mar;19(3):395-7. Epub 2004 Dec 13.
PMID: 15596482 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
4: Zhang W, Wang T, Qin L, Gao HM, Wilson B, Ali SF, Zhang W, Hong JS, Liu B. Related Articles, Links
Free Full Text Neuroprotective effect of dextromethorphan in the MPTP Parkinson's disease model: role of NADPH oxidase.
FASEB J. 2004 Mar;18(3):589-91. Epub 2004 Jan 20.
PMID: 14734632 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
5: Liu Y, Qin L, Li G, Zhang W, An L, Liu B, Hong JS. Related Articles, Links
Free Full Text Dextromethorphan protects dopaminergic neurons against inflammation-mediated degeneration through inhibition of microglial activation.
J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2003 Apr;305(1):212-8.
PMID: 12649371 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
6: Palmer GC. Related Articles, Links
Abstract Neuroprotection by NMDA receptor antagonists in a variety of neuropathologies.
Curr Drug Targets. 2001 Sep;2(3):241-71. Review.
PMID: 11554551 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
7: Chase TN, Oh JD, Konitsiotis S. Related Articles, Links
Abstract Antiparkinsonian and antidyskinetic activity of drugs targeting central glutamatergic mechanisms.
J Neurol. 2000 Apr;247 Suppl 2:II36-42. Review.
PMID: 10991664 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
8: Verhagen Metman L, Del Dotto P, Blanchet PJ, van den Munckhof P, Chase TN. Related Articles, Links
Abstract Blockade of glutamatergic transmission as treatment for dyskinesias and motor fluctuations in Parkinson's disease.
Amino Acids. 1998;14(1-3):75-82.
PMID: 9871445 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
9: Verhagen Metman L, Del Dotto P, Natte R, van den Munckhof P, Chase TN. Related Articles, Links
Abstract Dextromethorphan improves levodopa-induced dyskinesias in Parkinson's disease.
Neurology. 1998 Jul;51(1):203-6.
PMID: 9674803 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
10: Verhagen Metman L, Blanchet PJ, van den Munckhof P, Del Dotto P, Natte R, Chase TN. Related Articles, Links
Abstract A trial of dextromethorphan in parkinsonian patients with motor response complications.
Mov Disord. 1998 May;13(3):414-7.
PMID: 9613730 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
11: Montastruc JL, Rascol O, Senard JM. Related Articles, Links
Abstract Glutamate antagonists and Parkinson's disease: a review of clinical data.
Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 1997 Jul;21(4):477-80. Review.
PMID: 9195605 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
12: Kaur S, Starr MS. Related Articles, Links
Abstract Antiparkinsonian action of dextromethorphan in the reserpine-treated mouse.
Eur J Pharmacol. 1995 Jul 4;280(2):159-66.
PMID: 7589181 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
13: Montastruc JL, Fabre N, Rascol O, Senard JM, Blin O. Related Articles, Links
No abstract N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist and Parkinson's disease: a pilot study with dextromethorphan.
Mov Disord. 1994 Mar;9(2):242-3. No abstract available.
PMID: 8196695 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
14: Bonuccelli U, Del Dotto P, Piccini P, Behge F, Corsini GU, Muratorio A. Related Articles, Links
No abstract Dextromethorphan and parkinsonism.
Lancet. 1992 Jul 4;340(8810):53. No abstract available.
PMID: 1351627 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

The only rational basis that I can think of for my symptomatic relief so far is this..Robert and yourself have had pd for appox the same amount of time as myself..You began LDN about 2.5 years ago, as did Robert with the DM..(2 yrs ago)....If we were to play the devils advocate and assume that both of your progressions have been halted as the study suggests..or if it has slowed the progressions or masked your symptoms, or a combination of the above..and myself on the other hand..I definately have 2 years of uninterrupted progression..I have more symptoms to treat, keeping in mind that you both were in the early stages of pd when you began the LDN/DM regimen..Then again it could be that you are both in fact on the Sinamet honeymoon and I am merely enjoying the dopamine reuptake inhibitor consequences of DM..I think now that a few more folks in our community are interested in trying DM we will know one thing for sure..We still wont know for a number of years if it has halted our progressions but we will have some comparisons on symptoms