There are 42 ratings for the drug: SINEMET in the Askapatient database.

Key to ratings for sinemet: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine.

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Rating	Reason	Side Effects	Comments	Sex	Age	Time Taken		Date Added
				F  M
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1	Parkinson's disease	Hallucinations, bad dreams, nausea, pain and itching in limbs.	These are side effects described by my mother. She was diagnosed with PD just a few years before her death. She said it stopped her tremors for a while, but shortly this effect waned and the side effects remained. She wanted off almost at once, but took them for some time because of the doctor's persuasion.	F	76	6 months		12/25/2009
3	Depression/Anxiety/OCD	a weird burny feeling in my chest, worsening of OCD symptoms, a little bit more anxiety than before,	i take half of a yellow 100/25 pill ........overall, this medicine can help a little bit or a lot with the depression, but it makes anxiety and OCD worse, obviously. if u have no other options this can help with depression, but u should take it with an MAO-B inhibitor (such as selegiline or rasagiline) to prevent possible neurotoxic damage caused by the dopamine matabolism in the brain.	M	18	2 days		10/6/2009
1	My Dad had Parkinsons.	Please see my orriginal note on 8/6/2008. I have included my email address. Dad became very delusional and we were afraid to keep him at home. He rarely slept and was combative all the time. He had me take him to the hospital so they could terminate his life.	Dad would rip out his IV's at the hospital. We couldn't keep him at home like this, so Mom and I decided to take him off the Sinemet. He was acting so paranoid and aggressive he would have to be locked up. We refused to do that. Dad became much happier and like his old self when he went off the Sinemet. We were able to keep him home until he died on Feb 1st of this year. This drug works great at first, then seems to build up and turn on the patient. In my opinion, it should be taken off the market. Find something else! I am putting my Dad's gender and age down. Take care! ALso...the neurologists were useless. They are bored with Parkinsons patients and keep pushing the Sinemet. It's up to you to find what works.	M	81	1 years		9/23/2009 Email
3	I have MSA with Parkinsons symptoms	Hallucinations and after 10 years my front teeth are cracking.	Sinemet helped with movement. I take 1/2 a pill twice a day.	M	73	10 years		9/7/2009
2	parkinson	headache		M	66			8/6/2009
1	PARKINSONS to help tremor	restless leg syndrome, insomnia, increased tremors	Initially I had a tremor. Prescribed sinumet and took for one month. I started having rls and insomnia after three weeks on med. Even after doctor weaning me off Sinumet side effects continued. Searched blogs and tried several ideas from them which included increasing protein in diet and avoiding citrus. In my case this worked and the side effects disappeared.	F	83	1 months		6/12/2009
4	Parkinson's	Initial nausea, burning and bad taste in mouth, and some trouble sleeping.	HANG IN THERE if you can. Sinemet did improve my PD symptoms but it did take about six long weeks to get passed the nausea and some of the other side effects...I had to give it (Sinemet) a chance and just put up with the bothersome side effects for a while. I did find that taking the pills with a full glass of warm water and not taking them on an empty stomach did help. Sugar-free hard candy also helped with the bad taste in my mouth. Currently, I am in the process of adjusting the dose and adding an agonist (Requip) at bed time to find the right combination and dosages to best address my symptoms. Summarily, response to this medication appears to be variable just like the symptoms of PD.	M	62	5 months		4/6/2009
2	symptoms after Keppra increase	muscle weakness in both arms and legs within 36 hours; inability to stand or walk without two large people helping to lift him up, in doctor's office, fatigue--whereas prior to drug he could walk slowly to bathrooom with a walker just fine. (In short, same results as when he tried this same drug in 2005)	It concerns me that the neurologists keep pushing Parkinsons meds like this one and Mirapex on my dad. An 84-year old man with a prior cerebral hemorrhage from a vehicle accident, who's on increased Keppra dosage needed to avoid new seizure problems, plus BP meds, cholestrol drugs, Terazosin, Plavix, Zoloft and others, who also has neuropathy, severe sleep apnea and no CPAP yet (getting retested) could have increased slowness, problems walking and falls for a number of reasons. I am guessing that treatment via Parkinsons meds for symptoms of slowness and falls is likely a standard AMA protocol once someone is in their 80's, even if other causes are a possibility, especially since Parkinsons diagnosis is limited to observing visual symptoms. Therefore neurologists are afraid not to prescribe Parkinsons meds? A respected Chicago hospital had already declared my dad does not have Parkinsons disease; only features of Parkinsons (shuffling, etc.), yet once we come back home, that's all we get from the local neuros. All I can say is beware: consider looking at other causes of the symptoms AND getting other opinions before using this drug--every article I have seen written by patients/families on the internet seem to contain a number of horror stories about this drug. I'm adding ours. Our loved ones deserve better. (Time length taking Sinemet in 2009: 2 days. In 2005: about a month)	M	84			3/27/2009 Email
2	PD	My mother took her first pill this morning and then I discovered this website and after reading several posts, I'm not sure if I should proceed with Sinemet. Please feel free to contact me with suggestions or recommendations.	My mother has what I would describe as "light" tremors in her hands which is a problem when she's eating. She also has problems walking sometimes. What's most important to us is that she has good quality of life. The comments about not sleeping, nightmares, nausia, etc. from taking this medication concerns me.	F	75	1 days		3/19/2009 Email
4	Restless leg syndrome	I would take one pill 3o minutes before bedtime and sleep for a good four or five hours. Then I could not get back to sleep. Now I seem to have restless legs during the day instead of just at night and on airplane trips. I like the medication for what it does for me at night but can't help but wonder if I am addicted to it inorder to get to sleep - and wonder why my legs are so antsy during the day - off and on.		F	56	40 days		11/7/2008
1	Parkinsons	My brother has been taking this medicine and we have had so many problems with him, he is now in fact on remand for a crime we belive was caused by this drug, now he has spent time in a mental hospital he has been taken off this drug and is now his oldself again, This drug is awful and I would love to hear from anyone else that has experienced mental issues whilat taking, we need your help please.	PLEASE HELP	M	55	4 days		11/6/2008 Email
1	Parkinson's	My Husband has been taking Sinemet for about 7 yrs. Over the last year he has been having terrible confusion, insomnia and very bad dreams. We are now finding out the trouble is being caused by Sinemet. We went to a Parkinson's doctor and she told use she has heard the same comments from other patients. She said if it bothers you this much, just quit taking the medicine. So, as of today he will no longer take Sinemet.		M	80			10/3/2008 Email
2	undiagnosable progressive paralysis	upset stomach, vomiting after dosage, serious agitation, inability to listen, hear's a couple words of sentence, jumps to conclusion (sometimes very unrealistic), initial energy boost, drops a couple hrs later, frequent severe fatigue.	This chld doesn't have parkinson's, dosage times must be very carefully monitored, any deviation creates serious problems in physical and mental well being. a snack (not a meal) must be given 15-20 min after meds or vomiting will occur. Initially it did seem to help with fine motor control but I now believe the side effects are not worth it. She can't go out and play much when she gets sick 3 times a day. The agitation during the drop effects everyone in the home. She has always had trouble sleeping it is now much worse	F	8	5 months		8/25/2008 Email
1	Parkinsons	My Dad is taking Sinemet and it has been a nightmare. He is totally delusional now. He is extremely fatigued and sleeps quite a lot during the day. He is agitated and walks around at night. Normally Dad is respectful. Now he is mean and paranoid. I want him off this drug! Has anyone tried muscle relaxents instead of Sinement? Medical Marijuana? I want my Dad back! Dad is 80 and has been on Sinemet less that a year.		F	50	1 years		8/6/2008 Email
3	Parkinson's disease	Sleepiness, dyskinesia, mental slowness	For those recently diagnosed with PD: take advantage of all you can - you'll never feel better than you do now. I was diagnosed with PD in 2001. I've taken Sinemet for 7 years. After 6 years of relatively good control of my PD symptoms on Sinemet, I began to have dyskinesias or unintentional or dystonic movements and spasms. My co-workers thought I was drunk. But inside I was a mass of clenched muscles, especially in the jaw, neck, upper body. Sinemet kept me going rather smoothly for 6 years, but now I walk a tightrope between PD symptoms and side-effects. Sinemet also slows me down mentally, like I was drugged. (Laugh - I am!) These days I take a nap almost every day, out of necessity, in order to get through a work day, which for me is the evening shift. I'm a musician.	M	55	7 years		7/17/2008
4	Young Onset Parkinson's	Brief stomach upset when taken in the morning. Dosing is tricky. Restless when taken too much; very evident when it wears off. Flatulence (yuck), daytime sleepiness, nighttime insomnia, and some memory issues.	I started tremoring at age 27. I was diagnosed with essential tremor for a long time. My symptoms got progressively worse until it became difficult to function. After suggesting PD to my doctor for over a year, I finally got properly diagnosed. Sinemet has made my life so much better. I'd take the side effects over the inability to write, walk, and engage in normal life activities ANY DAY!	F	35	4 months		7/2/2008
4	Restless legs	daytime fatigue	I've been taking just 4 days, but so far it is a godsend. I was extremely sleep deprived 5 days ago from RLS. My ferritin level is low, so I am also taking iron therapy and the hope is that in a couple months my ferritin level will be up to 50 or 60 and I won't need the sinemet any more. (RLS is rare in people with ferritin levels of 50 or more.) I am on the lowest possible dose, so I don't take it before bed, I wait till the RLS kicks in, then get up and take the Sinemet. I am usually back to sleep in 30-60 minutes. One night I slept 10 hours and it was heavenly!	F	51	4 days		4/13/2008
1	suspected Parkinsons	Dementia, COD, anorexia	Please beware side effects	M	75	7 days		1/27/2008
1	Parkinsons	Delusions, erratic behavior, disturbed dreams, memory loss, and insomnia.	My father was on this drug for two years. He became increasingly delusional and we were told it was because his disease had progressed and that we should put him in a locked unit. After 4 hospitalizations one physician told us of the drugs side effects. We discontinued the drug. Dad is now back in his own home and doing well without assistance. Shaking is better than the suffering he went through.	M	77	2 years		11/5/2007
3	Restless legs Syndrome	Brief night time hot flashes.	Sinemet was great for two years - one pill before my bedtime did the trick. Then, RLS started during the day at work, and my night time doses had to be increased so that I could sleep. Now, I have to take one pill before bedtime, a second pill after three hours, and a third pill after three more hours. I am experiencing general insomnia - just cannot sleep well.	F	54	2.5 years		4/25/2007
2	Parkinsons	Anxiety attacks, irregular heart rhythms, severe on-off effects with trembling and a feeling of having your stuffing knocked out , addictive, and forces the body to give up production of its own dopamine so that without it you have no mobility.	Starts off promising, with light doses and pleasant results. However eventually you have to keep increasing the dosage to be able to function -then you pay for it with the side effects. A vicious outcome you would not wish on anyone.	M	55	4 years		3/29/2007 Email
1	Parkinson's	When it kicks in, I feel great, but after 2-3 hours it starts to wear off and I go crashing. I have what I can only describe as severe drug withdrawal symptoms. I get the worst butterflies in my stomach and I feel the need to keep moving because of the overwhelming crawling feeling in my legs. It's awful.	This pretends to be the best medication for PD but it's actually the worst. There has to be a better solution.	F	49	5 months		2/25/2007 Email
5	Restless Leg Syndrome		Works wonders. After 2 years use, I now need two tablets instead of one, but no noticeable side effects.	M	63	2 years		1/29/2007
3	parkinsons	terrible stomach discomfort and constipation	as far as i'm concerned it does what is expected providing.relief of strong tremor and a somewhat sense of well being.However the accompaning stomach discomfort more than makes up for the good.Kindly respond if you've experienced the same discomfort.	M	73	1.6 years		11/24/2006 Email
4	Frequent, severe muscle cramps	Mild constant backache/night sweats	Don't like the backache or the night sweats, but so far, this is the only thing that has helped alleviate most of the cramps I was getting in the muscles of my legs, feet, arms, and hands.	F	57	10 months		11/15/2006 Email
3	Parkinson's Disease	Extension of fingers; cramping of fingers; headache; dizziness; tightness in shoulders.	Tricky to dose; hard to distinguish the side effects from the disease it treats. When dosed properly, it's wonderful, making me able to be almost "cured."	M	64	3 years		9/25/2006
1	Left Side Dystonia	PERMANENT FOREARM AND HAND TREMOR, WHAT A NIGHTMARE!!! DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG!	EVIL DRUG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!	M	46	3 years		6/21/2006 Email
4	PLMD	after about a year, I have experienced heart palpitations\irregular heart beats		M	47	1 years		6/3/2006
3	PLMD	Extra involuntary movements. Upset stomach. Extremely agitated sleep if also had caffiene or cold medicine. Neuro doc changed me to Mirapex because he said Sinemet should be saved for latter stages.	If all other meds have ceased to work and Sinemet is the best choice, remember that eating protein interferes with its absorption, as does eating on a full stomach those foods that take long to digest.	F	54	4 years		4/24/2006
4	Parkinsons	None noted.		F	66	4 years		4/17/2006 Email
5	Parkinson's	None cause I started very slowly with much less than prescribed to allow my system to get used to it.	Very good / very bad. Classical situation where a drug seems to address exactly what is going wrong in the Parkinsonian's brain and that is the diminishing capacity to make our own levodopa (which is what sinemet is). Levodopa in a healthy person is made in our bodies from basic nutrients. Levodopa, in turn, is converted to Dopamine, which in balance with two other neurotransmitters, acethylcholine and GABA, provide for smooth and controlled movement. Throwing ready-made levodopa into our bodies causes a well known pharmacological effect called	F	48	7 years		6/10/2005
5	restless leg syndrome	possibly night sweats, they started about the time I started the medication. The sweats could be from thyroid.	Before I started taking Sinemet, I could not sleep for all the jerking motions of my legs. That problem doesn't exist with the medication. I take one every night 30 minutes before going to bed.	F	47	7 years		4/30/2005
5	Young Onset Parkinson's	Occasional dyskenesia if I dont dose correctly, ON/OFF periods	Saved my life! I medically retired at 33 from the Air Force. SINEMET is the medicine that helped, all the agonists had extreme side effects. SINEMET has allowed me to go back to work as an IT specialist.	M	38	5 years		1/11/2005 Email
2	Parkinson's	Extreme on off dyskinesia, dystonia, Cognitive problems of all kinds. Cramps, joint pain, muscle and soft tissue damage from dyskinesia.	If someone had only told me that I would be totally overdosed and become addicted to this drug! What I thought was Parkinsons's disease is nothing more than the ravages of sinemet addiction. How do I decrease dosage and get back to normal Parkinson's disease and symptoms?	M	55	5 years		12/25/2004
3	Parkinson's	Helps with freezing, limited side effects		F	70	12 months		12/7/2004
4	parkinsons	wearing off		F		10 months		10/2/2004
4	Young onset Parkinson's disease	It is the Gold standard of PD drugs for me, it helps tremor or the lack of movement, it is a good drug but it has an = on /off phenomena after 3-6 years, to much can be as bad as not enough.	Sinemet is a good medication for me, yet it is not a cure.	F	37	7 years		9/28/2004
4	Parkinsons Disease	Nausea, wearing off and wearing on discomfort, lack of motivation	If PD is present it works wonders, shame that there are side effects with long term use	M	55	20 months		8/31/2004
3	Restless Legs Syndrome	Augmentation, daytime sleepiness, fatigue		F	43	3 weeks		7/1/2004
3	Restless Legs Syndrome	Augmentation, daytime sleepiness, fatigue	Gave me 4-5 hours of continuous sleep for the first couple of weeks, now it's hit and miss.	F	43	3 weeks		7/1/2004
3	INVOLENTRY LEGS SPASMS	DIZZINESS, VOMITING FOR A SHORT PERIOD. LOSS OF APPETITE.	HAS HELPED LEG MOVEMENT SETTLE DOWN	F	16	5 months		4/18/2004
3	Parkinsonism	none	Have been taking it for about 3 months. Seems to have reduced tremor and improved speed of movement	M	77	3 months		3/29/2002

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Average rating for drug: 2.8. This page is printer-friendly; use landscape print with background color turned on.

Key to ratings: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine.

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