Medication dosage

[Billibobi@xxxxxxx]

Have been lurking for about a month and picking up all sorts of information.
Now need some specific.   Have posted this twice before so am trying a
different address.

My husband is 71/12.  2/12/96 Bill entered hospital for a "drug holiday"
(something I have not seen mentioned here).  At admission he was taking
8 - 25/100 Sinemet and 3 - 1mg Permas daily.  After 8 days without any
Parkinson meds he was restarted on 6 - 25/100 Sinemet and 2 - 1mg Permax
daily.  Within a few days we put Permax back to 3 - 1mg daily.  On that
dosage and through several adjustments upward on Sinemet, he was func-
tioning almost as if he was on NO meds.

On 3/29 Dr increased Sinemet to 1 + 1/2 every HOUR.  Ask Dr about
dissolving Sinemet in orange juice like Bill Bell's mother.  Dr said fine,
it might get into the system faster, so that's what we did.  Bill main-
tained that dose 3/29 and 3/30.  Dr called early AM 3/31 and when
told meds were finally working for the first time since hospital he told
Bill to cut back to 1 + 1/4 - Sinemet every hour.  He did for the rest
of that day but by bedtime was beginning not to resp     ond.AM41he
was almost immobile so has gone back to 1 + 1/2 - Sinemet every hour.

Is anyone else out there taking Sinemet in this quantity?  If so, how long
and with what results?

We live in Reno, NV.  Does anyone have any information on PD surgeries
being done in Salt Lake City, UT?  What hospital?  What doctors?

Read in message several days ago that Aetna had approved pallidotomy at
Emory, Ga. and 8 other states for Medicare.  What about pallidal stimulation
and thalamodomy?  Our Medicare administrator is Aetna in Arizona.  Does
anyone know if the Ga. decision would bind Aetna nationwide or if each
regional Aetna office makes its own determination?

What a BOON this service to us.  Much wonderful information and lets us
know how NOT alone we are.

Bill & Bobbie Cotter  (Billibobi@xxxxxxx)