My dad (78) is on Sinemet every 4 hours throughout the day. He goes to bed after his 8pm tablet.
He then has 2x slow release half Sinemet at 11pm. And another Sinemet at 7am.
The issue is that he is in a deep sleep for 11pm and 7am tablets. Waking him is necessary to avoid choking but extremely difficult.
Can anyone suggest any solutions for nighttime meds?
Note: We tried him with a Rotigotine patch when he was in hospital with Covid last year. However this left him in a deep sleep throughout day and night so not sure if this is the type of meds or the dosage.
Good morning FK … I am 70 years old. I am also on Sinemet. 2 Sinemet Pills at 7.30am & 1 Rasagiline pill, 2 Sinemet pills at 11.45am & 2 Sinemet pills at 7pm. This works for me Parkinson’s wise. Does he really need the night time pills when he is fast asleep ?
I also take a lot of other pills for other health issues & anti side effect drugs.
My main Parkinson issues are gait freezing & lack of mobility.
Silly question, but does he need the 11pm tablets? If he sleeps the whole night and can function in the morning perhaps he doesn’t need those. Obviously depends on the reason for them but things change maybe talk to the PD nurse about it
Try Clonazepam. It is meant as an anti-anxiety drug but also has fab muscle-relaxing qualities, not to mention sedative qualities too. So although I’m very ‘off’ at night, I am comfortable enough without dystonias and muscle pain to sleep soundly most of the night.
The benefit of taking Clonazepam is also that there is a period of the day when I am not taking Sinemet - long term this is very important because its side effects build and build and are very real. The less you can get away with taking each day, the better. If it means he takes 100mg less Sinemet per day, that converts to 36,500mg per year less, of course!
Thanks so much for reaching out to the forum. We can see our lovely members have provided you with some support already which is great. You should always contact your dad’s healthcare professional, e.g his GP or Parkinson’s Nurse, for advice before making any changes to medication. They should also be able to give their insight and hopefully give you some further support.