when to take medications?

[maple tree]

Could anyone please advise how important it is to make sure you take medications on time?

Thanks!

[YumaGranpa]

Always, always remember that the medicine will not cure Parkinson's...Most meds are for patient comfort. If your meds are prescribed for 4 or 5 times a day and they don't seem to be lasting or helping until the next dose is due, don't be afraid to adjust them closer together. Just be sure to let your doctor know. The meds are there for you the patient. My doctors call it "tinkering" with the meds...They are for your comfort. Use wisely...

[maple tree]

Thanks so much for the advice....I will pass this info along to my wife who has PD. Appreciate it!

[SBSooz]

Hi Maple Tree,
I do not claim to be an authority on this subject----I just know that my Dr. emphasizes the importance of trying to keep on a regular schedule with whatever meds you are taking to achieve the maximin benefits. I finally invested in a little pocket alarm (medication reminder from the Internet, epill.com) that beeps or vibrates for up to 12 settings a day. I have found this to be a big help, as I can be very forgetful, especially when it comes to taking meds. Sooz

[hefty]

if anyone has any questions about meds i am currntly on 5 of them also i am in a study group for new ones.

[maryg]

:oWhat are all these medications that you take? Are sinemet and ropinirole included among them. Do you have any side effects from any of the medications? Do you always need to eat something before you take a tablet? Sorry I know that is a lot of questions but I feel in need of a lot of advice and this forum is just what I have been waiting for. Thanks maryg.

[heather]

Hi Maryg
i'm don't no where you live,but in the UK

I have learnt that the best person to contact is the chemist/ pharmacy ,i get hubby's tablets from ,it should say on the box
whether to be take with food or before,

[irish Lass]

Mirapex works great for me. I have no side effect from Mirapex

Iris Lass

[hefty]

i take meds every 3-4 hours ..mirapex,sinemet,sinemet cr,amantdine and a study drug twice a day.I take most of them with water but in the morning if i want to kick in fast i dissolve the sinemet(yellow pill)in gatoraid and in about 8-10 min.i am up and going... a trick i learned from the study group i take alot of meds but i am still working and very active the only side effect i have is not sleeping well

[Drew Saunders]

:oWhat are all these medications that you take? Are sinemet and ropinirole included among them. Do you have any side effects from any of the medications? Do you always need to eat something before you take a tablet? Sorry I know that is a lot of questions but I feel in need of a lot of advice and this forum is just what I have been waiting for. Thanks maryg.

It's me again! If you take sinemet do not eat protein foodstuffs up to 15 minutes before you are due to take this medication as it reduces the effect. Things like dairy products, red meat are particularly "greedy" The protein "eats" some of the sinemet in the gut. Do not be sorry about asking questions. This is what the Forum is all about. Best advice I can give you is maintain your sense of humour - it really does help.

[heather]

Hi Drew
thank you for that advice,i was not aware, about sinemet with protein, my husband has to take his in his cereal in a morning, pudding teatime with a supplement feed, and bed time with a
pot of supplement ,as he can't swallow,unless his drinks are thick end to stage 2-3
thank you for sharing that

[lhurtado]

Mirapex works great for me. I have no side effect from Mirapex

Iris Lass
i had a terrible side effect w/mirapex compulsive gambling for about 2 yrs. i was deeply indebt. my husband & grown children helped me & forgave me.

linda

[heather]

Hi lhurtado
I read somewhere this was one of the side effects of Mirapex
what a lovely loving family you have

[lhurtado]

Hi lhurtado
I read somewhere this was one of the side effects of Mirapex
what a lovely loving family you

Yes it is true. of course everyone's system is different. it can also cause other compulsions, like obssesion w/sex. as soon as i stop mirapex ,it stopped. i no longer had desire to gamble on the internet. i also did not have compulsion before i started. i told my nuero he had not heard anything. the makers of mirapex never disclose it. requip is pretty much the same. thanks, i'm blessed w/a beautiful family, & a wonderful husband who is my caretaker. that's what uncondtional love is all about. we've married 37 yrs.
linda

[maryg]

Hi Drew
Thankyou for telling me about the protein and the effect it has on siminet tablets. Yesterday I took my tablet with a boiled egg and today it was a bacon sandwich! Tomorrow it will be a slice of toast and a banana. Absolutly any advice and information is so welcome. Thanks again. Maryg.

[liz]

Ok... I sure hope I am doing this right. First timer!!! Well my Dad has PD. He was diagnosed about 6 years ago. He has been on Sinement (Carbidopa- Levodopa)?? all this time. He is now finding that 2 pills 4 times a day didn't do the trick. He now takes 1 pill every 2 hours. Some days they work and other days nothing. He gets very depressed but refuses to take any antidepressent pills. Is there another pill that we should try next? Is this med that he is on now one of the so called "lowest" to start off PD patients? I hope this makes sense to someone! Thanks for any help!

[lhurtado]

[QUOTE=liz;1818]Ok... I sure hope I am doing this right. First timer!!! Well my Dad has PD. He was diagnosed about 6 years ago. He has been on Sinement (Carbidopa- Levodopa)?? all this time. He is now finding that 2 pills 4 times a day didn't do the trick. He now takes 1 pill every 2 hours. Some days they work and other days nothing. He gets very depressed but refuses to take any antidepressent pills. Is there another pill that we should try next? Is this med that he is on now one of the so called "lowest" to start off PD patients? I hope this makes sense to someone! Thanks for any help![/QUOTE
YOUR MOVEMENT DISORDER SPECIALIST (NUERO WHOM SPECIALIZES IN MOMENT) NEEDS TO READJUST HIS PD MEDS. & ADD MORE ANTAGONIST. DEPRESSION & ANIEXTY COMES W/THE TERRORTITY & IF NOT TREATED IT GETS WORSE. BELIEVE ME I KNOW. I'VE DONE THAT & BEEN THERE! HE MUST HAVE THE DOC GIVE HIM SOMETHING 4 IT. THEN HIS PD MEDS WILL WORK. STRESS,ILLNESS LIKE TH FLUE OR INFECTIONS, DEPRESSION WILL HINDER THE MEDS TO WORK. IT IS AS IF U TAKE NO MEDS. DEPRESSION IS VERY SERIOUS! KEEP AN EYE ON HIM! THER R MANY ALTERNTIVES & PROCEEDURES TO HELP THE SYSTOMS OF PD. I'M SORRY I DO NOT MEAN TO SCARE U BUT THAT IS A FACT. CONFIRM W/YOUR NUERO ABOUT THIS.
LINDA

[liz]

Thanks Linda!
He was on one antidepressent, and I really did notice a difference. But he is his own doctor... He decided that it wasn't doing him any good, and stopped taking it. Then, he tells me like 3 weeks later. I don't know how to convince him that those meds really work. Thanks for your advice again!

[Diane]

Hi, Liz. Linda's advice sounds like the perfect response. Our experiences have been similar to yours, both with the antidepressant and the Sinemet wearing off. Dr added Mirapex to help the Sinemet work better and longer. He also prescribed Parcopa, which melts on the tongue and works really fast, when the Sinemet and Mirapex wear off too soon.

My husband was diagnosed with PD 9 years ago. A couple of years later, he admitted to the Dr that he was depressed and Dr prescribed Zoloft. He quit taking it because he said it did no good. I knew it was helping A LOT! I brought it up at the next appt and Dr told him how important it is to take the antidepressant and take it every day. When he quit taking it again, he said it is because he takes so many meds, he can't keep it all straight. So, I started to organize his meds and keep track of what he is taking. I did not realize that he could not keep track of so many meds. His memory is not what it used to be, and he simply was overwhelmed by the task.

I would be interested to know if organizing the meds is a problem for others. My H said the orange-colored bottles from the pharmacy confuse him because he cannot see the color and shape of the pills inside.

I made up a system which works for us, because I keep track of his pill supplies, and he only needs to remember to take his "morning pills" and his "bedtime pills", and he carries PD pills separately, to take 4 times per day. In our system, I count pills, so I know which pills he is taking and whether is taking them correctly.

If others have had this problem and have some advice or a good system, I would like to hear it. If anyone wants to know more about how I help my husband stay on track with the meds, I would gladly describe our system more fully.

Diane

[heather]

Hi Diane
i use a medi organiser

this is a link
www.ForgettingThePill.com
I fill it on a Sunday for a week,then i don't have to worry if i have given them or not

Also our chemist will do them for 4weeks, and they are sealed
so you no what has been taken
and he orders the prescription automatically

[lhurtado]

Yes it is true. of course everyone's system is different. it can also cause other compulsions, like obssesion w/sex. as soon as i stop mirapex ,it stopped. i no longer had desire to gamble on the internet. i also did not have compulsion before i started. i told my nuero he had not heard anything. the makers of mirapex never disclose it. requip is pretty much the same. thanks, i'm blessed w/a beautiful family, & a wonderful husband who is my caretaker. that's what uncondtional love is all about. we've married 37 yrs.
lindai take 21/2 carbo/levo 25/100 & 1 comtan 200mg. 6x a day. 2 requip 3x a day lorazpan 3x for anxiety, celxia 1x for depression. i've tried stalevo,mirapex.patch,artane,permex & the list goes on to no prevail. some of these were bad sde effects. carbo/levo side effect nausea &nightly horrific nightmares went away on it's own after a year. then i was lenghtly thoroughly tested 3hrs test as a candidate for DBS which i did do.2004:(
linda

[tinkerbell]

hi,

i find if i spread my meds throughout the day it helps.

i take 1 azilect, 1 requip, 1 sinemet plus and a blood pressure at 8am

11am- 1 requip

12.30- 1 sinemet plus

2pm- 2 requip

5pm- 1 sinemet plus and 1 requip

7.30pm- 1 requip

i find if i do it this way even thoug hit is a nuisance i don't feel nauseas i have tried everything else also avoid protein through the day just have it in my main meal 45mins after the 5pm dose. it works for me.

tinkerbell

[karen_kissane]

Hi folks,

Thanks for the info on the medications.

Mom takes
Sinemet 64.5mg x 3 times
Azilect x 1
Nu-seal x 1
Exelon 1.5ml x twice a day (liquid Exelon.... not tablets as the tabs are the size of bullets & mom could not swallow, you also cannot crush them!

A pill case is the best option to manage tablets rather than taking them day by day from the box. We purchase a new case from the pharmacy 3 weeks ago, which is split into 7 days and 4 capsules per day - morning, noon, evening, bed. Pack it up for 7 days and if you are going out for the day, you can take the day strip with you, it fits neatly in a handbag or pocket.
The only portability problem is the liquid Exelon, large bottle for for just .75mls daily.

Also useful tip, new one yesterday...... , so many of the liquid medicines are in brown bottles and you cannot see through glass! We now decant into a clear bottle! That way you can check if mom is taking the liquid..... plus she can see what she is measuring out with the syringe, squirts it into a glass and mixes with a little liquid and takes orally.

Thanks Drew for the info re protein, that is very useful. Did not know this.

It is also very interesting to read the way you split the tablets up, to get the most effect. We thought it easier to take 1 x Sinemet, 1 x Nu-Seal & 1 x Azilect together in the morning at breakfast, that way the bulk of tablets were taken together to give you kick start in morning. Our greatest difficulty has been getting mom to take them at all! She had 3 months prescription in hand of the Exelon before we discovered that she was not taking it due to size of tablet. Now as I am learning day by day, we are monitoring the time of the tablets as I can see the sinemet wearing off at certain stages.

I agree, one of your best friends is the pharmacist, they seem to be more up to date than the doctors!
Cheers Karen

[heather]

Hi Karen
hope you are all well
There is a syringe you can get, that has a rubber cap on the nosal end [spelling] , i can't find anything on it,but i'm sure your pharmacist will no about it, you can draw them up to take out with you, and keep them in a cool bag,

Please don't think i'm telling you what to do
But have you checked,if the medication needs to be kept out of light, some are in a brown bottle for that reason

take care