I find that my body's ability to stretch a dose and avoid an "off" period is impacted by many factors, and you can't always determine what is happening. But over time, you can identify trends. This is not a set it and forget it approach; it requires constant thought about what your body is telling you. For me, I can start to feel the dose wearing off when my tongue starts moving to the front of my mouth and my mouth wants stay open. That often happens when my next dose is supposed to be taken. I also feel the stiffness come back, which affects my walking. I am still working, so this can happen during meetings, although adrenalin seems to not let it happen at critical points.

I have been told I have good reaction to the medicine, which makes this approach possible I think. In the past I have taken fewer drugs, but I have seemed to be stable at this current condition for the last few years. And I am still working, having only told a couple people at work. There will come a day when I need to tell more, but I am enjoying my current ability to stay somewhat "in the closet."

Anyway, I take doses of Sinemet/Rytary/Comtan every four hours during the day. If I need more before the next dose, I take a half dose of Sinemet. I also take 8 mg of Requip in the morning and 4 mg at night. This may seem like a lot, but it makes me feel the most normal rather than the high-strung person I became with other stronger drugs. I am okay with taking the doses within a half-hour of the time as long as I understand why (e.g. heavy exercise routine, raised stress level) I also can drop Comtan if I am too wired, which can happen when I feel good on weekends or after I get a lot of sleep. But the key is the mind and body need rest, so using either too much will impact performance down the line.

Eating regularly and drinking enough water also have a role. Also asthma of course. But above all, stress can impact the body's ability to absorb the drugs, and extreme stress has led to strange and bad things in the past. This is just my experience.