Sinemet

Thanks for posting about your husband's nausea problem, @maxaz1. From what I understand proteins are what keeps the Sinemet from being assimilated by the brain.. Has your husband considered taking the Sinemet with carbs, not protein (like yogurt, milk, etc). Perhaps a bread product or crackers would work better.

Has he been checked for other GI problems? If not, that might be a good idea as well.

Here is some information about Sinemet and food from the Michael J. Fox website, https://www.michaeljfox.org/understanding-parkinsons/living-with-pd/topic.php?nutrition which both you and @susan62 might find helpful.

Here is the first paragraph from that article:

"SHOULD YOU AVOID ANY FOODS OR SUPPLEMENTS WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE?
The medication levodopa (Sinemet) is a protein building block so it competes for absorption with other proteins. Eating a very proteinic meal reduces the likelihood of effectively absorbing levodopa, so you may want to leave meat, fish and cheese for dinner and eat more carbohydrates and vegetables during the day. Taking medication on an empty stomach -- 30 minutes before or 60 minutes after a meal -- allows the drug to reach the small intestine and absorb faster. However, a carbohydrate snack (crackers, toast, oatmeal) with the medication may be necessary to prevent nausea."

As you can see from this article, Sinemet only needs to be taken 30 minutes before a meal and a carbohydrate snack can be taken with the med in order to avoid nausea, just avoid protein foods.

Will you post again and let us know how your husband is doing?

Thank you for the suggestions. I will share your reply with my husband as soon as he wakes from his nap! And I will, of course, update you with his results.

Sounds good, @maxaz1. Is his neurologist aware of the nausea problem? If not, it would be good to give the office a call and let them know. Also his GI doctor should be aware.

Hi Teresa. I tried the sugary drink thing this morning(Black cherry pop) and it did not help. I think it made it worse. I don’t consume a lot of sugar, so perhaps this might be part of the problem. I will try taking the Sinemet on an empty stomach(as I have been doing) and then eat 30 minutes afterward, as you suggest. As you say, I may well be waiting too long to eat. I feel pretty sure that eating too much protein is not my problem. I am a semi vegetarian(eat eggs, dairy products, beans, fish, seafood and soy products), but by FAR my daily diet consists largely of fruits and veggies.
I heard about the 1 1/2 to 2 hour thing from my first neurologist. She said to take the Sinemet and wait 1 to 1 1/2 hours before eating or eat, and then take the Sinemet 2 hours after eating.
Anyway, the thing that I have found that does help is drinking part of a can of diet Ginger Ale after I take the meds.
I appreciate all of your suggestions. Thx.

Hi Maxine. I can totally sympathize with your husband. I often feel nauseated too. I certainly don’t feel like eating. The thought or scent of food makes me want to wretch. I eat not for enjoyment, but because I have to.
Teresa has given me a few things to try, which I am in the process of doing. One thing I do that seems to help a bit is to drink a little diet Ginger Ale right after I take the Sinemet. Just a thought.

Hi @susan62

You might try the crackers or bread with the Sinemet. It's worth a try. When I started, I also had a lot of nausea, but with the right kind of food that problem is better.

There have been occasional episodes of nausea/vomiting ; the Neurologisit suggested taking Pepcid...and taking the Sinemet with snack, like crackers/or toast...

Thanks, @dianalee. I had not heard of using Pepcid but that is a good idea along with a little non-protein food.

Thx Teresa. I will try a few crackers with it this morning

Thxs to you too Diana Lee. Will try the Pepcid if the crackers don’t work. You are all so helpful