Guest guest Posted March 19, 2002 Report Share Posted March 19, 2002 My father was diagnosed with MSA 2 years ago. He has been followed by a very good neurologist specialising in mouvement disorders. He has been in a " home " since August of this year. last week he saw another neurologist who treats other patients in the home. He is a specialist in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. He implied that my dad had Parkinson's and not MSA because if he had MSA and tried to stand up (which is extremely difficult for him) he would faint . His blood pressure has been stable for the last couple of months and he did not faint. Great I say! Meanwhile the doctor prescribed L-Dopa for him because he wants to stop some tremors and is saying that his condition is like Parkinson's. My dad has felt very listless since he started this medecine and it seems to me that his speech is more slurred. I can't make out what he says on the phone. I am angry at this doctor for such a glib " diagnosis " . My mother will speak to the main neurologist when he returns from his holiday. I would just discontinue the L-Dopa, it has only been a few days. I could use some advice. Joanne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 19, 2002 Report Share Posted March 19, 2002 Joanne, L-dopa does seem to help about 40-45% of the MSA patients at least somewhat. Note too that tremor is not usually a big problem with MSA and that PD like rigidity is often more of a problem. Not all MSA patients experience the BP problem but over 80% develop it at some time in their bout with MSA. Has it increased movement at all? Is he getting it more than 4 times a day and how much? The doctor should be told about the listlessness to access the value of continuing the medicine as it is a side effect of Sinemet. But the speech thing is more a sign of infection than a side effect of Sinemet. So before insisting on removal of the Sinemet, I would push for a check for infection as listlessness is also a sign of infection. A few days is not a good test of Sinemet, it may take as much as 30 days to decide if it is helping. Sinemet is also a ramp medicine and you should come off it as slowly as you went on it. They need to decide if it is helping with the rigidity. Is he getting physical therapy? If so they should check his movement before he takes the Sinemet and 30 minutes after he takes it. It is up to you, but it worked at least somewhat for my wife for 12 years. Take care, Bill Werre cyberturtle707 wrote: > My father was diagnosed with MSA 2 years ago. He has been > followed by a very good neurologist specialising in mouvement > disorders. He has been in a " home " since August of this year. > last week he saw another neurologist who treats other patients > in the home. He is a specialist in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's > disease. He implied that my dad had Parkinson's and not MSA > because if he had MSA and tried to stand up (which is extremely > difficult for him) he would faint . His blood pressure has been > stable for the last couple of months and he did not faint. Great I > say! Meanwhile the doctor prescribed L-Dopa for him because > he wants to stop some tremors and is saying that his condition > is like Parkinson's. My dad has felt very listless since he started > this medecine and it seems to me that his speech is more > slurred. I can't make out what he says on the phone. I am angry > at this doctor for such a glib " diagnosis " . My mother will speak to > the main neurologist when he returns from his holiday. I would > just discontinue the L-Dopa, it has only been a few days. I could > use some advice. > Joanne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 20, 2002 Report Share Posted March 20, 2002 Thanks once again for your information. I will see my dad tomorrow and will share your experience with him. I will also mention the caution about the infection. I don't know why one neurologist, who met my father once, recommended L-Dopa while another , who has been seeing my dad for 2 years, has never mentionned it. I was afraid that he had made a bad decision but I see that other MSA patients have tried this. I presume that Sinemet is a type of L-Dopa. I will pass this information on to my parents. I hope that you are well. Joanne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 21, 2002 Report Share Posted April 21, 2002 Joanne, Remember that the condition you describe can be a sign of infection which is far more common with MSA than a side effect of either of these medicines. If it is connected with the Florinef it may be low potassium which can be corrected with more potassium in the diet or pills. But here are sites to check them out: Florinef can be checked out at this site http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH?d=dmtUSPV2 & c=319505 & p=~br,IHW|~st,8124|~r,WSIHW000|~b,*| It is commonly used in MSA to increase BP when you have orthostatic hypotensin Side Effects of This Medicine Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention. Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur: Less common or rare Cough; difficulty swallowing; hives; irregular breathing or shortness of breath; irregular heartbeat; redness and itching of skin; redness of eyes; swelling of nasal passages, face, or eyelids; swollen neck veins; unusual tiredness or weakness Check with your doctor as soon as possible if any of the following side effects occur: Less common or rare Dizziness; headache (severe or continuing); loss of appetite; muscle cramps or pain; nausea; swelling of feet or lower legs; weakness in arms, legs, or trunk (severe); weight gain (rapid); vomiting Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your doctor. Sinemet (L-dopa) http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH?d=dmtUSPV2 & c=319576 & p=~br,IHW|~st,8124|~r,WSIHW000|~b,*| Side Effects of This Medicine Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention. Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur: Less common or rare Cough; difficulty swallowing; hives; irregular breathing or shortness of breath; irregular heartbeat; redness and itching of skin; redness of eyes; swelling of nasal passages, face, or eyelids; swollen neck veins; unusual tiredness or weakness Check with your doctor as soon as possible if any of the following side effects occur: Less common or rare Dizziness; headache (severe or continuing); loss of appetite; muscle cramps or pain; nausea; swelling of feet or lower legs; weakness in arms, legs, or trunk (severe); weight gain (rapid); vomiting Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your doctor. More common Abdominal pain; dryness of mouth; loss of appetite; nightmares; passing gas Less common Constipation; diarrhea; flushing of skin; headache; hiccups; increased sweating; muscle twitching; trouble in sleeping This medicine may sometimes cause the urine, saliva, and sweat to be darker in color than usual. The urine may at first be reddish, then turn to nearly black after being exposed to air. Some bathroom cleaning products will produce a similar effect when in contact with urine containing this medicine. This is to be expected during treatment with this medicine. Also, this medicine may cause a bitter taste, or a burning sensation of the tongue. Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your doctor. Take care, Bill Werre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 21, 2002 Report Share Posted April 21, 2002 Joanne, Remember that the condition you describe can be a sign of infection which is far more common with MSA than a side effect of either of these medicines. If it is connected with the Florinef it may be low potassium which can be corrected with more potassium in the diet or pills. But here are sites to check them out: Florinef can be checked out at this site http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH?d=dmtUSPV2 & c=319505 & p=~br,IHW|~st,8124|~r,WSIHW000|~b,*| It is commonly used in MSA to increase BP when you have orthostatic hypotensin Side Effects of This Medicine Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention. Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur: Less common or rare Cough; difficulty swallowing; hives; irregular breathing or shortness of breath; irregular heartbeat; redness and itching of skin; redness of eyes; swelling of nasal passages, face, or eyelids; swollen neck veins; unusual tiredness or weakness Check with your doctor as soon as possible if any of the following side effects occur: Less common or rare Dizziness; headache (severe or continuing); loss of appetite; muscle cramps or pain; nausea; swelling of feet or lower legs; weakness in arms, legs, or trunk (severe); weight gain (rapid); vomiting Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your doctor. Sinemet (L-dopa) http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH?d=dmtUSPV2 & c=319576 & p=~br,IHW|~st,8124|~r,WSIHW000|~b,*| Side Effects of This Medicine Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention. Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur: Less common or rare Cough; difficulty swallowing; hives; irregular breathing or shortness of breath; irregular heartbeat; redness and itching of skin; redness of eyes; swelling of nasal passages, face, or eyelids; swollen neck veins; unusual tiredness or weakness Check with your doctor as soon as possible if any of the following side effects occur: Less common or rare Dizziness; headache (severe or continuing); loss of appetite; muscle cramps or pain; nausea; swelling of feet or lower legs; weakness in arms, legs, or trunk (severe); weight gain (rapid); vomiting Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your doctor. More common Abdominal pain; dryness of mouth; loss of appetite; nightmares; passing gas Less common Constipation; diarrhea; flushing of skin; headache; hiccups; increased sweating; muscle twitching; trouble in sleeping This medicine may sometimes cause the urine, saliva, and sweat to be darker in color than usual. The urine may at first be reddish, then turn to nearly black after being exposed to air. Some bathroom cleaning products will produce a similar effect when in contact with urine containing this medicine. This is to be expected during treatment with this medicine. Also, this medicine may cause a bitter taste, or a burning sensation of the tongue. Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your doctor. Take care, Bill Werre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.