Carbidopa/Levodopa
The Monster Under the Bed?
For two years, I have tolerated Mirapex fairly well (depending on how you define fairly well). Now, I can no longer take the side effects and I am switching to Carbidopa/Levodapa.
Since my diagnosis, I have thought of Carbidopa/Levodapa like a child thinks of the monster under the bed. I did not look so that the monster could not get me. In my nightmares, this monster shook almost uncontrollably.
There was no monster of course, but in mind there was some sort of a bizarre fun house mirror that held a reflection of my future self with dyskinesias captive. In short, the fear was that Carbidopa/Levodapa would create the shaking monster.
Do I see people with dyskinesias this way? Of course not. I never, however, afford myself the same level of understanding (not really the right word) that I grant others. With, addiction, for example, I view others in recovery as heroic, but see myself as just another person who only overcame obstacles that I myself created. I tell myself, with as much sarcasm as I can muster, "Great JB, you fucked your life up and then you sorta fixed it. Way to go! Major accomplishment!"
OK, OK, back to the drugs. Are the fears of this shaking monster real? The answer is yes and no, or as my doctor puts it,
"Do the risks (of Dyskensias with Carbidopa/Levodapa use) increase over time? Yes, but the risks don’t start to accumulate until someone has been on levodopa totaling at least 400mg daily, if not 600mg daily, for several years."
My dosage is luckily much smaller. So I will face this fear as I have faced all others, head on. OK, OK, head on after the requisite amount of whining!
Rare Spontaneous Moment of Clarity
The real monster, of course, is not some shaking future version of myself, but those aspect of my current personality that cause me to view myself with such disregard. Enough honesty for one post.
Rare Spontaneous Moment of Creativity
All of my future Halloween shows will now feature a new effect; The Monster In The Box!" Did it escape? Did it exist? Stay tuned!
In Related News:
A study in JAMA Neurology finds that an experimental extended-release version of the drug amantadine can reduce off-times in Parkinson’s. Foundation cited.
And Finally:
The Practice of Treating Parkinson's Patients
In my experience, in no other field of medicine are patients allowed to partner with their doctor to create a treatment plan. Bas could I be in your next skit? I am a Parkinson's Patient, but I do not play one on TV!
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