Proteins & Flushed Face

[KF Etzold <etzold@xxxxxxxxxx>]

I realise I am confused about the role of proteins and their interaction
with Sinemet. The typical lifetime of a Sinemet tablet is about 3Hrs. The
question is, where does the dopamine reside during that interval. Is it in
the intestine, the bloodstream or the brain. Now, if it resides in the
intestine it should not be affected if it is taken well ahead of a meal
because it is in a different portion of the body. If it is in the blood
stream then the interaction will take place as soon as the proteins diffuse
through the intestinal wall.  If it is in the brain the proteins will have
to diffuse through the Blood-Brain barrier which will takes even more time.
This assumes that dopamine is destroyed by proteins regardless of where
they are encountered i.e. the intestine, the blood stream or the brain
tissue. Now for my question: Is it possible to eat and to have no effect on
the dopamine level in the blood or brain? My observation with Carline is
that there seems to be an effect directly related to eating.

A related question: When Carline goes into an OFF state her face and hands
become very flushed. Both feel very hot. Is this a normal reaction in the
OFF state or is there something else going on?

Thanks for any thoughts on these two (related?) questions.
K-F Etzold (cg Carline)