Additional Help Needed Re: Amantadine
 

I have posted in the past re: Amantadine, but that was prior to my pwp having had it prescribed approximately 10 days ago. She started with 2 tabs daily...now, it's been increased to 3 tabs daily. On the 2 tabs, her dyskinesias were completely eliminated. Now, her "neuro"is hoping that the 3 tabs daily MIGHT help with extending the Sinemet dosage, and Doreen will "report" to him at the end of next week. In view of Doreen's recent terrible experience with Cogentin (severe cognitive impairment) we are leery about yet another medication and its possible side effects (have noted that confusion is a possibility) which, I know, is a POSSIBLE adverse side effect of so many medications...most especially with PD medications. I guess my specific questions are directed to those who take Amantadine, i.e.....dosage and any adverse cognitive side effects...and of course, any positives for Amantadine. I realize that some of you did respond to my prior post related to Amantadine and, if I recall correctly, most of the responses were positive. I really just need specific answers to dosage and any adverse cognitive side effects. Thank you so much for any information that you're able to provide. At this very moment, Doreen is debating whether or not to take her third dose of Amantadine today...that's how fearful we are.

Therese

You have good questions, and you will not have an answer until you try it a few days. My husband took one (100mg) upon awaking and the other at 2 PM. Please let us know how it helps, or not. Adelle

Don't.
 

It is amazing to me that it has not dawned on the doctors yet, that starting out with so much of a new medicine is a really bad idea. Of course that is only my own, homegrown and entirely unprofessional opinion as a patient.
Amantadine is wonderful, I love Amantadine.
I was prescribed 200 mg per day, but I began to see patterns on white surfaces, and to feel as if my head had been wrapped in wool and put in a bucket - i.e. not quite myself, and not quite there. I can only imagine how I would feel on 300 mg per day. I think I would be 'out of it', I think it would make me feel completely unreal.
I cut it down to 100mg per day, and it is helping my symptoms just as much as it did on 100 mg. For me at least, taking more than 100 mg Amantadine per day is unnecessary and counter productive.
If you start at 200 mg and never try just 100 mg, you will never know if 100 mg is enough.
If you start at 200 mg and add another 100 mg so soon after, you have not given the 200 mg time enough to see if it is too little or too much.
So I would not take that third pill.

All the best,
birte

I took 300 mgs of amantadine.....
 

from 1995 to 2002 with NO side-effects what-so-ever.
Doreen's experience will undoubtedly be unique to her, but amantadine is a relatively innocuous drug, and I would not be too concerned about trying the 3rd dose.

Charlie

Amantadine...
 

I have to say chasmo, it's not really an "innocuous drug". My own experience with it matches much of what Birte has said. You can get a feeling of "brain fog", much like the anticholinergics can do. I still "must have" amantadine in my "anti-PD drug cocktail" and I swear that 100mg/day is not as good (for me anyway) as 200mg/day is. I have been lucky enough to be able to say that I have "stabilized" on 200mg/day without much in the way of side effects except for minor blurred vision. The blue and red "spider veins on my lower extremities (livedo reticularis), i had for many years ,but now have mysteriously gone away. I have been on 200mg/day for 10 years. At one point i tried 300mg/day and my body told me "NO,TOO MUCH". I attribute the dissappearance of the spider veins to possibly one ingredient of my daily vitamin. mineral and/or antioxidant regime. I take a lot of supplements and they do not tell me much, other than when i discontinue them, my PD is worse. Listen to your body. Don't obscess, about it , but listen gently. Be your own "outside observer" to what your body is telling you, that is, don't read up on a drug's monograph and "expect" known (or unknown) side-effects to appear. Your body will let you know. cs

Adelle, Birte, Charlie, Ol'cs
 

Thank you for your responses. It seems, then, that Doreen is taking somewhere "in between" the dosage of Amantadine that all of you are taking, i.e., 100mg. - 300 mg. daily. She was to have started on 300 mg. today after having been on 200 mg. for only 5 days (started at the 200 mg.)...but, as I mentioned in the previous post, we both are extremely fearful about the 300 mg. in light of our most recent horrendous experience with the Cogentin. What I neglected to ask in my post is the REASON that each of you takes Amantadine...tremor...dyskinesia(s)...both...as an adjunct to Sinemet...other PD medications? I think your responses to this question could give us a better insight as to the benefit of Amantadine. Does anyone think that the starting dose for Doreen (2 mg.) was too high and also, does anyone feel that titrating to 3 mg. within 5 days of having started the Amantadine is too much too soon? Thank you for any input you may be able to provide. If it hadn't been for our very recent horrendous experience with Cogentin (not the same class of medications) but a medication that was clearly NOT a good one for Doreen, I don't believe that we would be as apprehensive as we are about this "new" medication being added to her regimen. This experience really made very clear what a tiny pill can do...good or bad...we're just attempting to avoid another terrible experience. Thank you for any input you may be able to provide, especially as to the reason(s) that you take Amantadine.

Therese

Everything.
 

I learned on our recent little trip what happens when I don't take Amantadine:
My tremor gets worse, my foot turns in from dystonia, I have 'offs', I get frightened when confronted with door steps, my balance falls right off and I bang into everything.
One little pill each morning eliminates all of the above - I still have tremor, but not as much.
By the way, I think it must be my imagination, but I find the red Amantadine pills more effective than the yellow.......I admit to liking red better than yellow - so maybe if my carb/lev pills were red, they would also have more effect than the yellow ones I take? Anyone else here found a difference, or am I totally daft?

birte.

Thanks/Amantadine
 

Thanks for asking this question,Therese. I hope the following statement/question is not hijacking your thread.
As I have mentioned before my husbands main symptom is a tremor in his right hand/arm with some drooling......from his mouth not his arm! He has been diagnosed over two years and is on 13mg of Requip with a very small amount of beta blocker to help the tremor.When we saw the neurologist last I asked about Symmetrel which I believe is the brand name of Amantadine.There was a great sucking in of teeth and then a "Not at all suitable."The P.D nurse (We have specialist nurses in the U.K who do the day to day work and are very knowledgeable)also shook her head and mouthed "No" and shook her head.On reflection I should have asked why. Can somebody throw some light on this?

Mixed "Reviews" re: Amantadine
 

In reading the responses to my post thus far, it seems that there are "mixed reviews" about Amantadine. I am still not clear as to the particular symptom(s) that all (or most) of you are trying to "target" with Amantadine. If anyone can shed some light on this, I would be most grateful.

As always, thank you....

Therese

For English Country Dancer, Birte and Therese
 

Hi Girls,
First up English Country Dancer, I (like Birte) think Amantadine is a wonderful drug.
How about giving the neuro a miss and asking your G.P. to prescribe it and you can titrate it up slowly?
By all means try the neuro again but ask him why he doesn't want to prescribe it. Personally I find the foot in the door approach works when you don't get a reasonable answer!
Birte, when you say yellow tab do you mean Sinemet or is there another dosage of Amantadine in U.S. apart from the 100mg capsule?
Therese, in the past I've had some pretty awful side effects form other anti parkinson drugs.
I've had visual and auditory hallucinations, paranoia and hypomania but like Charlie, I too find Amantadine to be a fairly benign sort off drug.
I think personally titrating it by 1 tab a week a gentler introduction to the drug.
I don't have tremor but have heard it helps it for others.
Supposedly helps dyskinesia too but I no longer get that as I don't really take Sinemet regularly or need to rely on it much these days.
Since DBS my gait and balance have worsened though and I find the Amantadine on its own to be a fantastic help.
My neuro has found it as well to be a big help to many of his patients for a myriad of different symptoms.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Lee

I should have added "in my experience". It would seem to me that you are sensitive to PD drugs! We should do a poll asking who was sensitive to what, and perhaps people can get a better idea of what their chances of having a "less than desireable" reaction to a specific drug.
Although I still think the only way to know for sure is to try it.

Charlie

Quickly...film is starting....
 

Terese, Amantadine targets tremor, dystonia and balance for me, not one of them but all three.
Lee, Amantadine comes in two colors (different manufacurers) one is red, the other is yellow.
My carb/lev pills are also yellow.

300mg per day
 

I have been taking 200mg of Amantadine for the last two years with no obvious side effects. However each time I tried to increase to 300mg I got a very strange feeling in my head (probably what Birte called a woolly head).

Recently i have been suffering badly with migraines so with my Neuro's approval I started to reduce my Amantadine to see if it was responsible. Two days after cutting down to 100mg my balance became very poor and my neck practically siezed up and my headaches continued. So having brutally discovered how essential the Amantadine was to me I thought I would give the increase to 300mg another go. So one week after increasing back to
200mg I then upped it to 300mg. This time I have had no strange heads and most of my PD symptoms improved significantly. My symptoms had deteriorated to the point where additional medication was desirable and as I already take 500mg of Madopar (similar Sinemet) I was not keen to increase my Levodopa intake for obvious reasons. My Neuro has prescribed a low dose of Mirapex to add to my existing drugs but after a very bad previous experience with Cabergoline I was not at all keen to try another Agonist.
Like Chasmo I cannot identify any side effects from taking Amantadine now that the strange head sensation has abated, at 300mg, and I am notoriously drug sensitive.

I have read that Amantadine often does not work as effectively for long periods but it is certainly working wonders for me at the moment and with no obvious side effects. But PD is a very complex illness and we all seem to take different drug cocktails even when we are at the same stage of our illness.
So I guess it's a case of careful trial and error for us all.

For the record I later tried reducing my Levodopa intake by one pill a day and my neck siezed up again.

My Neuro has said that I can go up to 400mg of Amantadine a day which I may try as a trade off for reducing my Levodopa intake as I would like to keep dyskinesia at bay for as long as possible.

Sorry that is so long but I hope it helps in some way.

Chris

All of You Have Helped Me Tremendously
 

Thank you...Adelle, Chasmo, Ol'cs, Birte, Suffolkchris, English Country Dancer and Tena (I hope that I haven't inadvertenly omitted anyone). From all your responses, I have been able to determine and conclude:

(1) Most have had success with Amantadine (to a
greater or lesser degree

(2) The "less is best" guideline seems to apply

(3) Very little cognitive impairment, i.e., if taken
as best "suits" each individual

(4) Listen to your own body

From all that I have gleaned from your responses, we have decided that Doreen will continue the "middle road" with Amantadine, i.e., 200 mg. daily in 2 doses since, at present, it seemingly is controlling (has actually eliminated the dyskinesia(s). She is titrating up slowly with the Sinemet to 4 1/2 - 5 tabs 25/100 daily taken in 3 doses to try to bring about more control of her tremor so that it seems logical, for now, to continue with the Amantadine for this reason alone. IF the dyskinesia(s) return, then, it MIGHT be time to increase the Amantadine to 300 mg. daily...but, until/unless this occurs, she will continue with the lesser dose. Of course, she will discuss this with her "neuro" tomorrow telling him that Dr. Therese has made a change in his dosing recommendations!!!lol He is usually very amiable about these things...and always believes in "less is best" if it brings about the desired results. We'll see just how he feels about my "logic"!!!

All of you have helped me so much...and Doreen, too, to arrive at what we consider to be a good decision.
...and English Country Dancer...I definitely would be interested to know exactly the reason that the neurologist and the PD nurse "frowned on" the use of Amantadine.

Thank you all, again, for so much support...and Doreen thanks you, too.

Therese

sorry for my late entry .......
 

Sorry to be weighing in so slowly on this Therese -

I've been taking 300 mg of amantadine for one year now; it was the dosage that I started out on.

I take it for my tremor (I am not dyskinetic; I also take 3 25/100 sinemet a day and one 2 mg requip at bedtime).

When I started, my doctor told me that it was an experiment - that amantadine is great for some, but not tolerated well by many, with significant negative side effects.

It has worked extremely well for me; my tremor is controlled, and I have not experienced the common side effects of leg swelling, skin blotching, and foggy head (in fact, it makes me feel more sharp!). I have learned to take my last dose several hours before going to bed because it is a stimulant and was interferring with sleep; that is no longer a problem.

I really think you have already hit the nail on the head - Doreen's body will have the answers. If she has tolerated amantadine well on 200 mg, and it has proved effective, then going to 300 mg should not be a problem. If it proves troublesome, then retreat!

Amantadine is so weird - I wonder what it is about it, or about us, that produces such a black and white difference?

I have a genetic, vascular dementia and have taken amantadine over the years without noticing any additional brain fog. Good luck.

Thank You, Carey
 

..."better late than never", Carey!!! Thank you so much for your response. It has given us more "food for thought" and certainly, it gives Amantadine a "plus".
My question now is whether it is controlling both the tremor AND the dyskinesia(s)...certainly, it must be the Amantadine that has so controlled the dyskinesia(s). As for the tremor, it's not certain. It was originally prescribed by Doreen's "neuro" for the tremor but it SEEMS to have been more effective in treating the dyskinesia(s). Based on this, then, I wonder if a reduction in her Sinemet dosage could be brought about by the additional 3rd dose of Amantadine thus lessening the possibiity(probability) of Sinemet-induced dyskinesia(s). It seems like a "catch 22" situation...and we MAY be looking for too much, here, i.e., control of both the tremor AND the dyskinesia(s) which almost seems like we're looking for a "miracle"...and before I go any further, I think I should conclude this because, as I re-read what I've written, I think only I could understand what it is I've attempted to say!!! IF, by chance, anyone IS able to make any sense of what I've said, I would appreciate your thoughts. I certainly appreciate, so much, all your responses...and so does Doreen. Please keep them coming if there is anything else that occurs to you that you feel could be helpful. Right now, a psychiatrist might come to mind!!!

Thank you...
Therese

"controlling" symptoms
 

Therese -

wondering also what you (and all of us) mean by "controlling" a symptom.

I've always opted for less medicine with less than "complete" control. My tremor does not impede my life in any way - but I'm sure it is still noticable, and will still break through if I am under any sort of stress.

Will ask
 

Next time we see the P.D nurse I will ask about the shake of the head and frown.Will then report back.This neurologists seems to think Sinemet is the answer to everything as I have asked about other avenues to follow before.

Michael and Carey
 

Thank you, Michael...your words were encouraging.

...and again, Carey...interesting that you would speak about what we mean by "complete" control. Just today, Doreen and I were discussing this, i.e., "complete" control vs. better control. From the time of her x. 10+ years ago, tremor has been her only symptom (other than the "secondary" symptoms related to the PD "meds". Her neurologist said at the time that until/unless the tremor interfered with her work (medical assistant to an ENT cancer specialist), he would not prescribe anything more than the Sinemet (25/100 mg. ...3 times daily). However, just recently, when we went for her regularly scheduled visit with him, she made it clear that she felt that the tremor was not interfering with her work, but this was in complete contrast to what her doctor at work said, i.e., he had absolutely NO problem with her tremor. In an effort to address this concern of Doreen's, her neurologist prescribed the Cogentin which certainly DID absolutely control the tremor, but caused the severe cognitive impairment. It was then that he prescribed the Amantadine. Doreen keeps trying to think of it as "only a tremor", but she, herself, has yet to be able to live by the "mantra". She is so cognizant of the fact that so many people suffer so much more than she whether it be PD or any other malady so that she often feels ashamed of not being able to cope better than she does. I've told her many times that we're all better able to cope with adversities in our lives better sometimes than others. She will speak with her neurologist tomorrow to try to come to some decision about whether or not it would be advantageous for her to continue with the Amantadine...to continue at her present dosage or increase to the 300 mg. as he has already prescribed. She will be very honest with him about her fears (and mine, too) about any medication that could possibly cause the horrendous difficulties that she (and I) recently encountered with the Cogentin.

Again...thank you all for helping us so much. I will keep you updated on what transpires between her and her neurologist.

Therese

?
 

Terese,Is the neurologist absolutely positive that Dorothy has P.D as it seems a very long time to only have tremor as an only symptom?My husband has tremor as his only real sign of P.D but after 3 years there are other little indications that it is P.D not Essential Tremor.

I've had good luck with the Amantadine since I started it back at the end of April. I was given it for the little bit of the energy boost, and it made a big difference in my overall well being. I was peetering out by Wendesday, and groveling through the rest of the week until the weekend so I could rest and regain my strength. I mentioned this to my neurologist, and she prescribed the Amantadine. She started with 200mg and was told to increase to 300mg if I felt it wasn't working. I went for about 5 months on 200mg, and eventually up to the 300mg where I am now. I have not had any side effects from it either including the brain-fog, which is pretty common. Birte I know what you mean about the wooly feeling. Mirapex did that to me.

In the process I also found out what happens when I am off of it. I ran short one day on my prescription, and waited until I was going home from work to pick it up. As usual I ended up staying late, and by the time I left work, I had the tremor in my right hand, my right leg, and my jaw, and on top of that the dystonia started in my feet! That one little red capsule made a big difference!


@EnglsihCountryDancer - I would definitely inquire with the doctor as to why he thinks this is not a good thing to take.

John

Do you mind if I ask what the timings are on a typical day for your 300mg.
I have just increased from 200mg to 300mg and am interested in the timing of
other people taking this amount.

As an aside in the two years I have been taking Amantadine I have had only 1light cold. Now I know as an anti viral drug it was originally approved to help protect people against one strain of influenza and colds are different but it's an interesting coincidence. Especially as my wife is a teacher and brings home plenty of colds for me to catch.

Chris

ECD, John, Chris
 

ECD...yes...two neurologists, one a Movement Disorder Specialist, diagnosed Doreen with PD. It took the MDS TWO hours to absolutely confirm the PD dx because Doreen's symptoms were so slight...and, in fact, the MDS termed Doreen's PD as the "garden variety" type, i.e., very ordinary and, in fact, stated that tremor might be her ONLY symptom with the PD...the most difficult to "control", but with the least probable devastating outcome. This, too, was confirmed by her present neurologist who has stated that he has some PD patients who have had PD for many, many years with only a tremor having emerged as their symptom...so, we are hopeful that it will be the same with Doreen. Eventually, she did experience some micrographia and lessened arm swing in her right arm (she had right-handed tremor for many years without its moving to her left hand (which is still minimal). Once she started the Sinemet, both her handwriting and the arm swing returned to normal. It is just recently that her tremor (she is right handed so that having a tremor in her right hand has begun to be more than a nuisance, especially in that she assists an ENT doctor and she feels it's interfering with her work somewhat)...thus, her neurologist attempting to "zero in" on the tremor...first with the Cogentin which certainly did eliminate the tremor, but caused such cognitive problems...and now, the Amantadine.

John...Thank you for a very supportive and helpful message related to Amantadine. Doreen spoke with her neurologist this a.m. and expressed her concern about taking 300 mg. daily (due to the horrendous recent experience we just had with the Cogentin and given the information that we've read that Amantadine CAN cause cognitive impairment, though not to the degree that Cogentin did..still, we are so leery). Although he would prefer to have her increase from the 200 mg. to 300 mg. (for both the dyskinesia(s) AND the tremor), he did not insist on it, but Doreen will speak with him in a week's time when they will discuss, again, the increase to 300 mg. We had been unclear as to his exact reason for prescribing the Amantadine...tremor...dyskinesia(s)...both...and it seems he has prescribed it for BOTH. It certainly has "worked" well for the dyskinesia(s)...absolutely eliminated them...but, at the 200 mg., it doesn't seem to have done too much for the tremor; thus her neurologist's preference for Doreen to take the 300 mg... we'll just see how this goes for this week.

Chris...I, too, am interested in the timing of the Amantadine. At the 200 mg. daily, Doreen's neurologist has prescribed it to be taken with her morning dose of Sinemet...then, with her 4 p.m. dose. I have read that Amantadine CAN cause insomnia so that I have questioned the 4 p.m. dose, although that would be approximately 6 hours before she usually goes to bed.
I would be interested, too, in the dosing at the 300 mg. in the event that we decide to increase to that dosage.

...and so I continue my venture/adventure with the PD "meds". I must say that it certainly has kept my brain very busy...and that's a good thing.

I am so appreciative of all the excellent responses that I have received from the people here. I can't tell you how helpful you have been...and can't thank you enough.

Therese

Therese, Chris,

I don't mind sharing my schedule with you. As I said, I take my Amantadine 3 x per day.
The first dose is at 8:30 am with my first dose of Sinemet.
The second dose is at 2:30 with my third dose of Sinemet
The third dose is at 5:30 with my fourth dose of Sinemet. This used to be 6:30, but this conflicted with commuting and dinner so it's easier to take the medication a little earlier than the other doses.

I have not had any insomnia with this schedule nor any of the wooly-brain feelings. In fact by the time I'm ready for bed, I can barely crawl on to the bed and sleep pretty deeply for about 4-5 hours before the dyskinesias and stiffenss wake me up.

Chris - you do bring up a good point about the colds and flu. My sister is a walking germ factory as well with 3 kids in daycare and school. When she visited a month ago, everyone else in the house ended up with the flu and a bad cold except for me. I guess this is one of the added advantages of taking the Amantadine. :)

John

Thank You, John
 

for providing your dosing schedule for Amantadine...and, too, for your encouraging words about Amantadine itself...exactly what Doreen and I need at this time.

Just another question, John...what is your Sinemet dosage, i.e., how much at each of the 4 dosings? Doreen has been taking the Sinemet 3 times daily...25/100 mg...1 1/2 @ 7 a.m.....1 1/2 - 2 @ 11 a.m. (depending on how well it "works" at this time)...2 @ approx. 4 p.m. w/ a possible total of 5 1/2 tabs daily. Until very recently, she had only been taking 4 tabs a day divided by 3 doses= 1 1/2 + 1 1/2 +1= 4 tabs...but, now at the 5 - 5 1/2 tabs. I have suggested to her that possibly she should be taking smaller doses more frequently but equaling the same total amount of 5 - 5 1/2 tabs...possibly even using a 4-dose daily regimen as you do. I guess my thinking on this is that she might be insured of a more constant "flow"of the Sinemet w/out the more concentrated dose at fewer intervals. The more recent increase in the Sinemet has NOT resulted in the dyskinesia(s) that she had been experiencing before adding the Amantadine so that we're hoping that the increased amount of the Sinemet will help with the tremor, and in fact, her neurologist told her today that she can even take 6 Sinemet daily to see if that would give an even better benefit toward controlling the tremor...but, he still feels that he would like to increase the Amantadine to see if that "works" well to control the tremor. I guess, though, he will wait to see if the increased Sinemet dosage helps with the tremor..if so, then, there would be no need to increase the Amantadine to 300 mg. daily...if not, then, he may decrease the Sinemet and have Doreen "move to" the 300 mg. Amantadine. He likes to "work" with one "med" at a time so that it's clear as to what "med" is doing (or not doing) what.

Gosh, John...I have rattled on, here...really went quite astray from my original question to you, i.e., what are your Sinemet doses, i.e., total daily dosage and how much at each dosing? Also, does the amount of Sinemet control your tremor well...or, is it possibly the Amantadine that is contributing to control of your tremor? Believe me...if you can make "heads nor tails" out of this, it will be a miracle!!!! I tend to write as I am thinking and I just have so many thoughts. It's a wonder that anyone would take the time to "wade" through some (probably most) of my posts!!!

Thanks, again...
Therese

Hi Therese,

You post is something like some of the Algebra word problems I've been working on lately. ;)

I think it's a combination of both at is working at the moment. I won't rock the boat too much...

Anyway, I'm taking the Sinemet 6-1/2 x per day total. These are the 25/100 Carbo-Levo generic yellow pills. I was initially at 2x then upped to 3x with a Mirapex at night, which did little for me, then upped to 4-1/2 times w/o the Mirapex, which worked for about 1-1/2 years. I was happy as a clam until July when I started feeling worse like the Sinemet wasn't working anymore, and I was getting stiffer, more tremulous, less steady, and even fell a couple of times.

I held out until my September appointment so on Sept. 20th, when I saw my neuro, I was tremulous, had diffculty getting out of the chair, and other problems with my gait, and movements.

I had already increased the Amantadine to 3x during the same time, so apparently the Sinement was working, but not enough along with the Amantadine.

As of now with the 6-1/2 pills, I can again get out of a chair, my arm swing is better, I'm not as stiff in the upper arms, and I don't tremor as much if at all except for the early morning.

I am on a very ridgid schedule, which is a pain to watch because it always gets in the way of doing things and I feel like I have to constantly watch the clock, although I can tell if I'm running late because I begin to stiffen up especially in my arms and legs, which feel like the dystonia is going to start up any second.

My timings are:

8:30 - 1 Sinemet 25/100, 1 Amantadine
11:30- 1 Sinemet
2:30 -1 Sinemet 25/100, 1 Amantadine
5:30 - 1 Sinemet 25/100 1 Amantadine [1]
8:30 - 1 Sinemet 25/100
11:30 -1 + 1/2 Sinemet at bedtime, which is usually a short time later.

Lately I've been going to bed much later, due to homework (taking online classes) so I will take the 1/2 just as I climb into bed. My sleep is pretty deep for at least 4-5 hours before I begin to get stiff and twitch, which usually wakes me up.

John

[1] This used to be 1 Sinemet 25/100 at 5:30, and 1 Amantadine at 6:30, but due to commuting home and dinner time, I found it easier to take both at 5:30 so the medication has a chance to sit in my stomach before I eat.

Just Testing You, John
 

...and oh, ha ha...but, I agree...what I wrote in that last post could be compared with an Algebra word problem!!! Just testing your cognitive abilities, that's all!!! I must say, though, that you "wound your way 'round my post very tactfully!

Thank you for posting your "med" schedule...have made a note of it....

I have questioned, too, the fact that Doreen's last dosage of "meds" is at approximately 4 p.m....then, no "meds" until the next morning at 7 a.m....15 hours elapse without any "meds". That just seems such a long time for her body to be without any "meds"...that she just kind of "slams" her body with the "meds" in the morning..but, who am I to question this...well, I guess as her caregiver, I'm entitled to have some opinion about this. What would YOU say about this, John? Or anyone, for that matter...what might be anyone else's feelings be about this?

As always, thank you....
Therese

amantadine was a nightmare for me. some in here may remember my horrible misdxd a few years ago of anxiety disorder instead of pd. that fun little trip began with amantadine due to one of the side effects can be anxiety. since i have brain damage from encephalitis/menangitis, i am very prone to side effects of meds, SO.... watch for anxiety.

it is good to read so many positive reactions to it. unfortunately, mine was very negative.

Hi Therese,
The Algebra is a good test for the cognitive abilities... So far I'm barely passing. ;) Being a computer technician by vocation (not love), has helped me navigate messges with lots of details and pick out what's asked most of the time. :)

Anyway, that schedule doesn't make sense. Why would her doctor want to not cover the night time at least with a Sinemet CR?

I would question the big gap in the medication. Perhaps she needs to have the dosages increased now and spread over more of the day. When I first started with the 2x and then the 3x dosages, I was running out during the night as well, and couldn't wait until the morning to get the first dose of Sinemet in me. When my dosage was increased to 4-1/2 per day, I was able to go a lot longer into the night without any problems. Now at the 6-1/2 per day, I'm getting the same results I had at 4-1/2 times initially.

If I went that long I surely would be in horrible shape by the next morning. Even now I can't sleep more than 6 hours before the twitching and spasms are so bad that I need to get up. So now I'm usually up early to take my first dose at 8:30 anyway even on weekends when I used to sleep until noon.


John

Thanks again,John
 

I have long questioned the 15-hour gap between "med" dosages...has not made much sense to me...but, fortunately, Doreen has had NO problems with sleep as so many pwp's do...and, in fact, I have thought that she almost seems to sleep too much at times. Recently, however...and coinciding with her starting the Amantadine, I have noted that she's waking earlier and unable to go back to sleep (unusual for her)...so, I'm wondering, now, if there's a connection to the Amantadine. She wakes with the tremor, now, which is also new, although her new dosing schedule, i.e., for the Amantadine, is to be taken at dinner time (usually about 6 p.m....but even at that, it would mean 13 hours elapse between "med" dosage...still a very long time in my opinion. As I think I mentioned to you...it would seem that her body is suddenly being "zapped" with "meds" and I have to question the wisdom of this. I will address this with her neurologist when next we speak...next Monday...perhaps before in that he told Doreen if she needs to speak w/him before next Monday, she should call him. I really would like to get started with a schedule that better spaces the dosing intervals and certainly better manages the present 13-hour gap between dosages.

Thanks again, John...I appreciate your thoughts very much...very helpful...

...and I hope you noticed the brevity and clarity of this post, i.e., in comparison w/some of my more recent writings! Scanning as you are so apt to do...selecting the salient points...would you believe that as a Public Relations Communications Coordinator for many years, I DID EXACTLY THAT? Why, then, am I not able to write similarly?...just a rhetorical question, John....

Therese