Sinemet (Carbidopa-Levodopa) and nausea

hi teresa, lilyann here. i also have been on the thyroid cancer site. been jumping around on several sites. this parkinson's came up and now found out that its conected to lewy body, so when it rains it pours, truth to that for sure.

thank you for asking about husbands appt. with neurologist, he cancelled it and his vascular appt. says he does not feel up to answering a whole lot of questions and says maybe he will call later as we now found out they are moving to another location. as soon as something comes up, i will post. he has all the symptoms of the lewy body and the parkinson's which are so connected. the swallowing scares me a lot. so that won't be such a problem as i already food process my food, so i can do it for the both of us. seems like we are in the same boat without a paddle so to speak. keep in touch and wishing the best for all those on similar journeys.

@nasbyevan

It was prescribed by my neurologist at Strong Memorial in Rochester, NY. I was seen first at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. They kept me a week because my tremors were all in my legs and at that time they had never seen a case like mine. About 15 separate neurologist saw me. Then Rochester referred me to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. They put a Deep Brain Stimulator in that did help for about 15 years, but my condition has begun to progress. The Mayo Clinic said my Parkinson's is a result of environmental. We had well water and grew up on a farm, so all the chemicals from the farms were leaking into the well water. They tested the water in that area 3 years ago and found lots of chemicals. My brothervand I were both affected. The longer I've been on it the dyskinesia has progressively gotten worse and it is my understanding that this will happen with long term use of carbidopa-levodopa.

What really upsets me is that Parkinson's has been around since 1917 and carbidopa-levodopa is all they have for it. It's just sad

My husband has been on both Sinemet and Crexont this past year. He ended up staying with Sinemet Instant Release due to the increased nausea with Crexont. One of his PD autonomic problems is that his 'gut' is not digesting and releasing food into his intestines at a predictable time - thus the nausea, gas, indigestion. He now drinks a cup of warm chamomile tea before each Sinemet (4Xday at 7A, 11A, 3P and 7P). He also takes it on an empty stomach (no food 2 hours prior) and waits a full hour after. Also recommend, if your morning dose is causing nausea, stay away from any protein in your morning meal. Hope this is helpful and hope you feel better as you adjust.

New here.
Started on c/l a few weeks ago. My doctor started me on 1/2 a tablet (25-100) three times a day for a week and then increasing 1/2 a tablet/week (so 2nd week a full tab, 3 week tab and a half etc) up to 3 tablets three times a day. I started feeling nauseous after taking 30 min prior to eating at around 1 1/2 tablet with it getting worse as the does increases. I am now at 2 1/2 tablets three times a day and the nausea is getting worse. I am trying to "tough it out" and hope my body adjusts, but not sure I can. How long does it take for one to become accustom to the drugs? I do notice some easing of pain in my legs and am sleeping better on it, but it is a hard trade-off to make so far.

@cornbinder89
Hello and Welcome . I started this thread back in April. My doctor titrated my dosage same as yours. I experimented with when to take it etc. and now take it about one hour prior to each meal. Things were a bit tough but it seems okay now. Give it a couple of months and I think you may have the same experience. My main symptom is right hand tremor. Is it totally gone? Most of the time yes although I notice it sometimes when my arm in hanging and I am walking. Good luck.

@cornbinder89
While it is recommended that C/L not be taken with protein, taking it with some carbohydrates might help with your nausea. Toast, crackers, fruit, etc. might help with the nausea. When I titrated, I started off slower than you. For the first week, I took 1/2 tablet once a day, and each week I increased it by 1/2 tablet until I was finally taking 3 tablets a day. If the nausea doesn't get better, you might call your doctor's office and see what they might suggest.

I'm glad to hear that you are sleeping better and having less pain. What other PD symptoms are you experiencing?

I am not taking with food at all. I am following the directions I was given. I take at least 30 min before eating, most times between 45- 1hr or at least 3 hrs after I last ate.
I think my result of less pain was due periods of not getting much exercise during the extreme hot spell we were facing. Now I am not seeing any improvement.
Sleeping is a mix bag. I take my last dose right before bed, and I think this helps getting to sleep.
On the higher doses, I am finding that I get fairly bad nausea about 20-30min after taking the dose. When going to bed this is less of a problem, as I tend to fall asleep for the worse of it.
During the day, I am taking before a meal, so suffer through until I eat, then my energy crashes as the Levodopa gets metabolized.
I don't have all the normal symptoms that most people associate with P-D (tremors etc) but do have some others. My Dad had P-D and was there when he was diagnosed. I noticed some being expressed in me. I am unable to rise from sitting without using my hands, handwriting is getting small and hard to read, trouble with repetitive finger movements. All are indicative of P-D and are used in diagnosing by those trained to interpret them. I am not, so thought I should be tested by those who are.
The main issue I was seeing was loss in range of motion in my limbs and pain in my legs difficult walking esp after being on my feet for some time. After going though years of different testing by local medical providers, and getting nowhere. I was beginning to fear being wheelchair bound in the near future. I asked to be referred to Mayo for P-D testing. It was not even on their radar as far as I can tell.
I was self employed and couldn't afford good health insurance. What I had would not work out of state. Once I turned 65 and was on Medicare, I could go to Rochester, Mn and get most if not all covered.
My neurologist said there are other things that can express Parkinson like symptoms but are not P-D. By far P-D is the most common, but things like mini strokes, and even brain cancer can express as P-D. Re-reading the notes from my visit, my C-L is a "trial" to see if it helps. I am going back later in AUG for brain scans to rule out the more esoteric possibilities. I hope to review my C-L use at that time and together we can decide if I should continue (I am thinking not, as I am not seeing any great improvement), but I want to give it the best try I can.
I don't know where my diet comes down on the High-low protein range, but my understanding is by taking at least 1/2 hr before to 2 hrs after, what I eat shouldn't effect the absorption. I try and stay on outside the minimum times listed.
Today I am starting the maximum 3 pills 3 times a day, so may be in for a rough patch.

I have decided to taper off C-L in consultation with my proscriber. Yes, I know it is not safe to stop all at once. I understand it can take a while for my body to clear itself and there will be an adjustment period. I just hope it is one without nausea.