Off time problems
My wife aged 72 yrs was diagnosed having Parkinsonism 6 yrs. back nd started with a single dose of Syndopa110 (Levidopa100mg+Carbidopa 10mg). Now she takes 5 tablets per day with additional Syndopa 125 CR at night. She is not having tremors at all but during off times she experiences discomforts like arms muscle stiffness and cramps like feeling. This is often followed by spells of panic feeling. By massaging the muscles she gets some relief. the discomfort lasts for half an hr to one hour. Doctor had advised her to take different pain relievers but none of them are satisfactory. I have a feeling that Levidopa itself causes such symptoms. I would like to know whether anybody else had experienced such symptoms.
Exactly what hurts. I thought pd wasn't hurtful. I amtaking 3x aday10 MG. Of carbedopa/levodopa. Was just diagnosed in July 2022.
Thank you for response. Kindly see my reply to Thea Destephanao below.
The medications may be causing the symptoms. Have you contacted her neurologist? I was very sensitive to the levodopa which caused multiple symptoms. Keeping a log of when she experiences the symptoms may help her Dr determine the cause.
Thea DeStephano Community Team Member
Thank you very much for patient hearing. I understood from your response that Levodopa can cause multiple symptoms. That is a good information for us. The “on” time in my wife’s case lasts for about 3 hrs at the end of which slowness in activities set in and along with it slight cramp like feeling in upper arms muscles. At this juncture she takes dose of Levodopa. Within about 15 minutes the muscle cramp increases upsetting her mood very much. By massaging the muscles and diverting her attention she gets relief slowly. This happens once or twice during day time. At night, before going to bed she takes Levodopa 125 CR and Gabapentin NT 400 mg. In general, she gets good sleep. Neurologist says that this is not the time to increase the dose of Levodopa. Levodopa agonists like Pramipexole and Safinamide were tried but they all had some side effects and therefore abandoned. The Doctor prescribed some muscle relaxants and pain reliver drugs like Paracetamol, but they are not of much help. Her problem is what to do to avoid the onset of muscle cramps and feeling panic.
I am sorry to hear that you have not found a solution to this problem. I am sure it is difficult for your wife when the anxiety sets in . Has she tried any breathing exercises or meditation to help her calm the anxiousness?
Thea DeStephano. Community Team Member
