how long until the meds kick in
 

My Dear Friends,

I finally was able to see the neurologist this morning and she saw how bad off I am. As such, she tweaked my medications by lowering the Mirapex and increasing the carbidopa/levodopa. My carbidopa/levodopa was .5 and she increased it to 1.5. She then reduced my Mirapex.

My question is how long it takes to kick into my system. I was under the impression that it's immediate or, at the very worst, an hour??? I was
given my meds around 9:00 tonight and, at feel almost worse than when I took my medications.

Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks!

It might take a while for the med adjustment to even out..
Also depends if taken with a heavy meal and lots of protein.

This is what I've noticed with my dad..
If taken on empty stomach or with a very small snack (in case of tummy upset)..
carb/lev should kick in about 15-20 minutes .. with heavy meal maybe 30-45 minutes and more gradual..

He took Mirapex for awhile & on & off a few times.. had to stop it as side effects increased.

What are your most bothersome symptoms?

thanks for the reply
 

Thanks for the reply. Hands down is the stiffness. So bad I can't put one foot in front of the other.

proudest_mama,

What was your regimen (times, dose, drug/food) both before and after the change?

I'd check that the conversion was done correctly. The levodopa equivalent dose of 1mg pramipexole/Mirapexin is 100mg.

As Jo*mar says, I'd check on protein in the diet and gastric emptying.

I'd also note that pramipexole has a longer half-life than LC (600 min cf 90 min). This means that a reduction in pramipexole with an equivalent increase in LC will likely leave you more "off" in the morning.

John

the Patch
 

Okay, I'll check the paperwork to determine strength, etc.

My next question is whether the patch is for carbidopa/levodopa or if it helps distribute Mirapex.

Do you have any idea?

There are better ways, but a certain drug company has a patent on it.

If you mean rotigotine transdermal, that's a different creature. Similar to Mirapex, it makes the receptors on other types of neurons more receptive to levodopa administered however and whatever dopamine you have.

It's plugging the drain and turning up the faucet, so to speak.

Problem is, the receptor expression changes. If I stop talking to you, you will stop listening. A feedback loop is broken, and autoreceptors (listening to yourself speak is a good analogy) diminish also.

If you're deaf -- receptor expression is diminished, it doesn't matter how much dopamine I shove into your brain, or how loud I yell, you won't hear it. The nerve cells that produce dopamine must hear themselves also.

There's more to it than just dopamine, because that stops a chain reaction. Those nerve cells that respond to dopamine FIRE, and down the chain you go. Bust one link in the chain, and the Christmas lights go out (they're wired in series).

Brain tries to compensate, which causes changes they don't even know about.

Probably dose -- patches are slow. An IR med and then a patch, but patches really suck. Shire is good at extended smooth delivery.