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Anyone taking Ritalin to help improve autonomic symptoms of PD?
My husband was diagnosed with PD in May 2025. He is currently (having gone through multiple meds) on Sinemet 25/100 4Xday. His PD symptoms are less motor and more autonomic. His body parts have multiple 'temperature zones' and he is freezing and burning at the same time all day and night. He has no relief. It exhausts him physically and emotionally. His neuro psychiatrist has recommended he take 5 mg of Ritalin at noon every day to see if it can help energize him. Is anyone else taking Ritalin to assist with any autonomic symptoms of PD?
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My husband was diagnosed in 2017, he is always exhausted, they also tried Ritalin for him to hopefully boost his energy level but sadly it did not work. I hope your husband has better luck.
He is just taking Simenet? No Dopamine Agonist? I may seem like a broken record, but Requip has helped me a whole bunch. Taking only Simenet seems a little weak, especially only 4 times a day. It usually wears off after 3 hours or so; more may be necessary.
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1 Reaction@nova11723 Thank you, I have not heard of nor have any of his doctors recommended a dopamine agonist. I will research that. Would you say it helps more with the motor symptoms or does it also help with the non motor symptoms of thermodysfunction or Gastrointestinal dysfunction? How long have you been taking Requip along with Sinemet? It sounds like you may be taking more that 25/100 4Xday also?
@spatase From my experience, a dopamine agonist helps relieve the stiffness and generally enhances the Sinemet effect. I am not sure exactly how it breaks down between the drugs, but using them as a combo has worked for me. I have been taking them together for upwards of 5 years.
Regarding dosage for Sinemet, yes, I take it 5-6 times a day. One tablet wears off around 3 hours and one-and-a-half tablets can last for 4 hours.
Thank you @nova11723 That's helpful. With so many doses of Sinemet do you have difficulty with meal time? My husband's doc insist no food two hours before and 1 hour after a Sinemet but not sure if that's totally necessary.
@spatase At times I would have to watch what I eat, usually 30 minutes after I take the dose. Protein and fiber tend to havce the most impact on the absorption of Sinemet. However, usually, if I am exercising, sleeping enough, and not experiencing too much stress, I don't have to watch what I eat too much.
There are so many factors that impact how effective a dose can be; it often takes a good deal of thinking to figure it out. Over time, this gets easier.