L-Dopa side effects explained?

[Ronhutton]

A friend drew my attention to the following article.


http://www.brainandbodywellnesscente...ns-article.pdf

The author claims when you add L-Dopa to solve your deficiency
of L-dopa, you are creating an imbalance of other drugs, like epinephrine, serotonin etc. The reason for this is the imbalance causes side reactions, since many more neuro transmitters like sertotonin and others all use the same enzyme to synthesise the neuro transmitters from their precursers as well as dopamine is formed from L-dopa. . This causes the large amount of L-Dopa you have added to gobble up the enzyme, resulting in a deficiency of the other transmitters.
There is not enough enzyme to go around.
This is a very plausible explanation for the severe side reactions seen when we dose with Sinemet and other L-Dopa drugs.
The author suggests to overcome this by adding the non L-Dopa drugs to cure the deficiency. However I believe that you could simply add enough of the enzyme to give enough to make the requirements of the total drug mix
Could this be the cause of dyskinesia? in addition to the drugs already mentioned side effects .
Ron

[lindylanka]

Paula has long been looking into these imbalances. Anecdotally I can say that addition of an anticholinergic gave me more mobility & less pd effects. They were prescribed by urologist who said other PD patients had also found them helpful. However they had other less welcome side effects. The theory you have given in your link reminds me of Daffy Duck's approach some years go, he also advocated a building block approach to chemicals in the brain. Wondered if you were one of the people he was in contact with at the time and whether you took Dopavite. I did for a while he sent me some, but had little effect. Others did better I think, but there was not that much info on followup to see what the stats were.

Still, I think that the principle has a lot going for it. Especially as the body/brain will be finding its own levels.

On the other hand I always assumed the excess free floating ldopa was attaching to receptors that were less helpful.

[lurkingforacure]

Originally Posted by Ronhutton

A friend drew my attention to the following article.


http://www.brainandbodywellnesscente...ns-article.pdf

The author claims when you add L-Dopa to solve your deficiency
of L-dopa, you are creating an imbalance of other drugs, like epinephrine, serotonin etc. The reason for this is the imbalance causes side reactions, since many more neuro transmitters like sertotonin and others all use the same enzyme to synthesise the neuro transmitters from their precursers as well as dopamine is formed from L-dopa. . This causes the large amount of L-Dopa you have added to gobble up the enzyme, resulting in a deficiency of the other transmitters.
There is not enough enzyme to go around.
This is a very plausible explanation for the severe side reactions seen when we dose with Sinemet and other L-Dopa drugs.
The author suggests to overcome this by adding the non L-Dopa drugs to cure the deficiency. However I believe that you could simply add enough of the enzyme to give enough to make the requirements of the total drug mix
Could this be the cause of dyskinesia? in addition to the drugs already mentioned side effects .
Ron

Ron, this makes complete sense especially when you consider, as Rick has noted, that the body is constantly trying to maintain a balance. When you dump in the sinemet, "all systems go" results as the body tries desperately to handle the influx. This is perhaps why our very first neuro wisely opined that it is best to have as smooth a level of circulating sinemet as possible....probably because it is easier to maintain balance.

OK, so what is the enzyme that there is not enough of, and how do we get it? does it cross the bbb, and will it, in turn, cause other side effects (such as....)? Please share if you know, and thanks for this.

[ashleyk]

Below is a more detailed 2011report on Hinz's treatment. Open the PDF for the full paper. From a quick read, this looks interesting but the treatment seems complicated unless everything is put into a single pill. More years of study and testing?
Wendy

http://www.dovepress.com/amino-acid-...d-article-IJGM

Marty Hinz1, Alvin Stein2, Thomas Uncini3
1Clinical Research, NeuroResearch Clinics, Inc., Cape Coral, FL, USA; 2Stein Orthopedic Associates, Plantation, FL, USA; 3DBS Labs, Duluth, MN, USA

Abstract: An extensive list of side effects and problems are associated with the administration of L-dopa (L-3, 4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) during treatment of Parkinson’s disease. These problems can preclude achieving an optimal response with L-dopa treatment.
Purpose: To present a case study outlining a novel approach for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease that allows for management of problems associated with L-dopa administration and discusses the scientific basis for this treatment.
Patients and methods: The case study was selected from a database containing 254 Parkinson’s patients treated in developing and refining this novel approach to its current state. The spectrum of patients comprising this database range from newly diagnosed, with no previous treatment, to those who were diagnosed more than 20 years before and had virtually exhausted all medical treatment options. Parkinson’s disease is associated with depletion of tyrosine hydroxylase, dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. Exacerbating this is the fact that administration of L-dopa may deplete L-tyrosine, L-tryptophan, 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), serotonin, and sulfur amino acids. The properly balanced administration of L-dopa in conjunction with 5-HTP, L-tyrosine, L-cysteine, and cofactors under the guidance of organic cation transporter functional status determination (herein referred to as “OCT assay interpretation”) of urinary serotonin and dopamine, is at the heart of this novel treatment protocol.
Results: When 5-HTP and L-dopa are administered in proper balance along with L-tyrosine, L-cysteine, and cofactors under the guidance of OCT assay interpretation, the long list of problems that can interfere with optimum administration of L-dopa becomes controllable and manageable or does not occur at all. Patient treatment then becomes more effective by allowing the implementation of the optimal dosing levels of L-dopa needed for the relief of symptoms without the dosing value barriers imposed by side effects and adverse reactions seen in the past.

[pegleg]

I believe that you may be onto something about the cause of dyskinesia.
Peg

[kenki]

This has been already mentioned once before.
See:


http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread163456.html

Kenki

[Ronhutton]

Kenki,
Well spotted, after i read your post I did a short search and found this article going back to 2007.

http://www.pdf.org/en/spring07_gastr...function_in_pd

I had a recent X-Ray of the abdomen, and it showed a large build up in the colon. It took 3 months of laxative/fibre to shift it, and I was much improved afterwards.

AshleyK,
yes it is a complicated mix to correct the imbalance, but why not simply add enzyme instead of the mix of amino acids. Then there would be enough enzyme to fuel all reactions, and the imbalance weould not occur.
Ron

[pegleg]

I, too, had a "mass" found on exam by my gynecologist . He had an ultrasound done, but the mass had gotten larger. He scared me when he ordered a stat CT scan. The mass turned out to be what yours was (I was full of (/-$@)! )

The GYN doctor referred me to the GI specialist (now this is the third test) who ordered an MRI with contrast. Then the GI doctor said my pancreas was enlarged. I was really uncomfortable withthismass by now. So we had to drive to a facility 5hrs from here to have an endoscopic ultrasound (going down my throat to my duodenum this time). I just knew it was malignant. But it wasn't.

It seems that the pain meds I take had slowed down my digestive system, causing swelling and inflammation. I am working on obtaining more fiber and cutting the pain meds in half. The first few days were awful!

Parkinson's works against a health digestive and elimination system. You canDIE from an impact ion or obstruction, and several PWP do indeed pass on from this. It's serious business!
Peggy

[Ronhutton]

Peg,
Very interesting, I wonder is this build up is commonplace amongst PWP's?
An X-ray showed it up in my case, but i also had an endoscopy.
They put a pipe the width of a hosepipe in my mouth and said,
"swallow it!!!" Very unpleasant.
You are right, it can be fatal, and often is. I am surprised more attention is not given to it. I wonder whether the incidence is much higher in PWP, due to the poor muscle strength? Toxins given off can excacerbate symptoms.
Ron

[Ronhutton]

If we could eliminate side effects and be able to use unlimited L-dopa, just by adding the enzyme that converts L-Dopa to dopamine, this would not be a cure but the next best thing. There are no experimental compounds involved, and therefore no clinical trials, both enzyme and L-Dopa are natural body materials. Also, adding the enzyme is a lot simpler than adding a package of amino acids.
The article states Dr Hinz has given patients in excess of 10,000 to 20,000 mg of L-Dopa with no side effects.
I have tried to contact Dr Hinz but can't find an er-mail address.
Ron