Re: sinemet-Dann

[Guest guest]

Dann,

Do you remember how long it took for your mothers system to completely with

draw the Sinemet?

Deb

Dann wrote:

Mom never did have much of the PD tremors, mostly just the PD walk.

Some loss of expression in her face ( smile muscles didn't seem to work as

well).

Although my mom took Sinemet for over 4 years, I don't think that it helped, and

I believe that it made things worse for her.

When the Sinemet didn't seem to be helping my mom, the doctors kept increasing

the dosage. When the doctors increased the dosage to 50 mg it really made

everything worse. Halucinations, nausia, balance were all worse. The doctor

prescribed anti nausia pills so she could keep the higher dos down, finally, the

doctor gave up on the higher dose, returned to the moderate dose of 30 mg a day,

and added requip.

When we finally switched doctors and went to Mayo Clinic.. the doctor there

ordered mom withdrawn from both sinemet and requip. They weren't helping my mom.

Mom actually rebounded as they were with drawn.

Dann

LadySmilingAtU2@... wrote:

[Guest guest]

Deb,

My mom had been taking simemet for over 4 years, so whether she needed it or

not, her body had become acustomed to it.

My memory is a bit hazy, but I think this is how we did it. We tapered her

off for about over about 30 days. Mom was at 30 mg.. -- rather 10 mgs 3 times

a day. First she dropped to 2 - 10 mg.. 12 hours a part for one week.

Then she dropped to 1/2 of a 10 mg 3 times a day for a week, Then 1/2 of a 10

mg 12 hours a part. Then just 1/2 of a 10 mg once a day in the morning for a

week. Then we stopped the sinemet.

Mom seemed much less anxious / worried as the sinemet dosage ramped down.

It is a drug withdrawl. At the same time we were easing into Aricept. Mom

was taking 10 mg of aricept once at night, but after to-many " all nighters " ...

we discussed it with mom's doctor and he changed the Aricept to Mornings, and

sleep worked a bit better at night. The doctor told me that he had hoped to

get mom up to 20 mg of aricept, but she couldn't tollerate that much.. we had to

go back to the 10 mg rate.

Dann

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the info. Did your mother feel better once she was completely off of

it, or did it start at the even the lowering of the dosage?

Dann wrote: Deb,

My mom had been taking simemet for over 4 years, so whether she needed it or

not, her body had become acustomed to it.

My memory is a bit hazy, but I think this is how we did it. We tapered her off

for about over about 30 days. Mom was at 30 mg.. -- rather 10 mgs 3 times a day.

First she dropped to 2 - 10 mg.. 12 hours a part for one week. Then she dropped

to 1/2 of a 10 mg 3 times a day for a week, Then 1/2 of a 10 mg 12 hours a part.

Then just 1/2 of a 10 mg once a day in the morning for a week. Then we stopped

the sinemet.

Mom seemed much less anxious / worried as the sinemet dosage ramped down. It is

a drug withdrawl. At the same time we were easing into Aricept. Mom was taking

10 mg of aricept once at night, but after to-many " all nighters " ... we discussed

it with mom's doctor and he changed the Aricept to Mornings, and sleep worked a

bit better at night. The doctor told me that he had hoped to get mom up to 20 mg

of aricept, but she couldn't tollerate that much.. we had to go back to the 10

mg rate.

Dann