up my meds
 

i currently take sinemet cr 1 in the morning and one at night latley i have had increased tightening in my fingers shoulders and back while at work also get more spasms tremor to so i was wondering if adding a afternoon dose would help im asking cause my dr. would say give it a try and see if it works so im wondering what you think thanks

bamy, you might want to speak to your doctor about adding an agonist before increasing your Sinemet. Do you see a general practice neurologist or a movement disorder specialist?

Carolyn is right.
 

Rather than adding more sinemet it would be better to add either Requip or Mirapex. Your hands will work more smoothly, with less contrast between the stiffness you feel before taking your medicines, and the relief you feel right after taking your medicine.

birte

my two bits...
 

Is always take three 25/100's of sinemet per day even if your doc says only two. It takes that much to get blood/ brain levels up to where your passing enough L-Dopa across into the brain.
I also would try an agonist as Carolyn and Birte said, but before you do that, try the magic Amantadine, it is synergistic with sinemet to a great level in many people. YOu can have side effects but often they go away, but it doesn't work for some.
Agonists are tricky because you have to titrate up slowly, and if you are working, and you turn out to be refractory to agonists, you could have a few very bad weeks.
Right from the start i had the symptoms you describe and i got my neuro to put me on Klonopin at a very low dose 0.5mg only when you feel really tight. 5mg of Flexeril often is useful, but can cause drowsiness, just as some people use benedryl. Ther are other muscle relaxants that cause little drowsiness, ask your doc.
BUT, give the Amantadine 2 X 100mg/day. good luck. cs

And cs is right too.
 

I take Amantadine, and it really is a wonder drug. 100 mg per day does it for me, brings back my balance and tames my tremor, and it also makes my ankles quite purple, a minor side effect I can live with.

birte

This works well for me. The doc first had me on two a day, twelve hours apart. The morning dose consistently wore off after about nine hours. Now I'm on three-a-day and much happier.

I'm also pretty sure that being consistent is important. By this I mean, maintaining the blood/brain levels within a stable range, 24x7.

Karl

Timing
 

Anne Frobert has done some work on spacing dosages based on the time curves of their blood levels. If a given med reaches its highest level in two hours and then tapers off over another four (roughly the curve for sinemet CR), then taking a dose every six hours is going to be a rollercoaster that many scientists think is a danger in itself. That's easy, but add in a second drug with a different curve or even a third and instinct fails.