Sinemet vs. Symmetrel

[Guest guest]

THANKS FOR THE POST JOANNE. FOR THAT MATTER, THANKS TO ALL FOR THE

POSTS, AS THIS ISSUE RELATES TO ME DIRECTLY.

I CAN SEE BY THE POSTS, ESPECIALLY THE LAST TWO, THAT THE MEDICATION

APPARENTLY EFFECTS DIFFERENT PEOPLE WITH MSA DIFFERENTLY. (BIG

SURPRISE :-)

WHAT I WAS WONDERING, WAS IF ANYONE OUT THERE COULD TELL ME IF

SYMMETREL COULD ALSO HAVE A SIDE EFFECT OF LOWERING BP?

SINCE BEING PLACED ON IT, MY BP HAS DROPPED SOME.

SO HAS MY WEIGHT (WHICH IS NOT GOOD, AS THEY START TALKING J-TUBE

AGAIN WHEN THAT HAPPENS - AND I REALLY WANT TO AVOID THAT! :-)

SO FAR, I HAVE EXPERIENCED NO BENEFIT. IN FACT, MY DAUGHTER

SAID " DADDY! YOUR HEAD IS BOBBING WORSE THAN EVER BEFORE! "

ANYWAY, AS WITH JOANNE ON SINEMET, I'D APPRECIATE ANY INFO ON

SYMMETREL. (AND... IF I ASKED, OR EVEN IF I DON'T THEY'RE PROBABLY

GOING TO RECOMMEND SOMETHING ELSE - SO I'D BEST HAVE MY INFO IN HAND -

STRAIGHT FROM THOSE WITH EXPERIENCE!)

THANKS AGAIN TO ALL WHO CONTRIBUTE!

PABLO - AKA PULA - AKA PAUL

> Hello!

> My father started to take Sinemet a few months ago. It had been

> prescribed by a neurologist (who was not a MSA specialist) at

> my father's nursing home. At the time the nursing home staff

> was concerned about increasing tremors in his arm. He

> seemed to be weaker after he started taking it and his speech

> was more slurred. I recommended that he consult with his

> neurologist who is a specialist in MSA. After consultation he was

> taken off of the Sinemet. The attendants at the home thought that

> my fahter's " condition " was worse that he had more tremors

> again and that he was fainting more often. It was decided that he

> would go back on the Sinemet and take another medication to

> help increase his BP because the Sinemet lowers it.... the first

> DR. never mentionned this. Now the attendants are saying that

> my dad is having seizures and he has had a EEG. Before getting

> the results of this test they have put him on Tegratol, an

> anti-seizure medication. I'm not sure if it is doing any good but

> his speech is now incomprehensible. This makes me very sad

> because it so hard to communicate now. It seems to me that his

> problems are getting worse in some ways and I wonder if it is

> because of the Sinemet? Does any of this sound familiar to

> anyone? Where did you read or hear about the " controversy " with

> Sinemet for MSA patients? Thanks Joanne