Medications That Work 4 Me
(My experience with "drugs" is rather limited)

Me with my Pharmacist

(Click to Enlarge)
Roy Edward Gutianjo
Peoples Drug Mart
1453 Johnston Road
White Rock B.C.
V4B 3Z4, Canada.

Sinemet Cr
Sinemet Cr is the "gold standard" ... the "court of last resort"! Take it when all else fails. There are many strengths, and in my opinion a person should start at the lowest possible dose. If it were possible for me to start over, I would insist upon it. For example, suppose I was prescribed 100 / 25 > 4 times a day. I would only start with 1 a day, perhaps in the morning and observe the results. If I got relief, fine. If I didn't, I would take another say at 4 or 8 PM, and see if that helped. I would experiment until I was satisfied with the results. You can always go up, but coming back down is not as easy.

Sinemet CR is a time release pill,so if it is broken, it will start working faster than if it was left whole. However, the effects will not last as long. I have 2 strengths, 100 / 25, and 200 / 50. Which I use, as needed. When I first started out, I did as I was told,
· After 2 plus years of constant nausea, I found out that on average, if the nausea does not subside within 2 months, you have been overmedicated. Now, I take only as much as is needed in order to calm my tremors. A person is not apt to die, or end up sick if they don't take the full amount that the doctor prescribes. It is an individual thing, NO one size fits everybody! The doctor does not know how much every person needs. He just makes an educated guess as to the amount required, and tells them to come back in 2 months. If over medicated, a person can be very nauseated like I was, with no relief in sight.

· Sinemet belongs to the "amino family" and is a protein. As such, it is recommended that a person take their medication at least 30 minutes prior to eating any protein such as: meat, fish, grains, milk, butter, nuts, etc. The reasons for this are twofold, as I understand:
1. In order for the medication to be effective, it must get into the small intestine so that it can then cross the blood brain barrier.
2. If it has to compete with a lot of other proteins (meat, etc.), it will result in either less medication getting through, or slow in getting through.
· I have found that my stomach is much slower in emptying, especially when I eat meat. As are my bowels. So, I either allow a little extra time, or I consume something that will speed things up a bit such as prunes.
· It is recommended that one limit Vitamin B6 foods and supplements when taking Sinemet only.
· I know that I have to have enough protein foods in order to maintain my body mass; so, I consume a lot of vegetable proteins (e.g. rice, Soya powders).
· I have found that Sinemet is effective for about 4 hours throughout the day. It starts out giving me a boost of adrenaline (energy) and control. This boost starts to taper off in about 3 hours, so this allows me to do all the difficult chores. I try not to drive my car when I am coming down.
· I have a mini dose 100/25 (instant release) in case I am caught away from home too long. I also have a 2 day supply of 200/50 on my person and in my car, in case of emergencies. As well. It is a good idea to have a document in your wallet saying that you are on whatever medication you are on, in case of accidents.

(There are times that I don't require a full tablet of Sinemet Cr). So I take either one half of a 100/25, or even 1/4. If I wake up around 4 AM, and the drug is warring off, I may take a1/4, or if I need more control for some reason,such as an emotional upset, I may even take 1/2 of 100/25. I take only enough to function properly, not to stop all tremors. Time release now becomes almost 'instant release'.

(Note: I use home made applesauce (with skins) when taking all pills!)

This information only WORKS4ME, and is in no way meant to replace the advice of any physician. Everyone should consult with their personal physician prior to trying any of this information.