Have you read the article on this web site about the link between a hormone called ghrelin, which increases when your stomach is empty, and may be protective of our precious remaining dopamine making cells.
Before I read this, I had started to get the feeling my madopar didn't work as well after I had eaten. I used to take madopar 2 hours after breakfast and a few hours after lunch, but once I had to increase to thrice a day, switched to half an hour before meals. But on the new regime the madopar seems to wear off much more quickly.
Has anyone else on madopar noticed either feeling more symptomatic after eating, or conversely feeling better PD wise when hungry?
I hate feeling hungry, but maybe I might have a go at going hungry more often. Will be good for my thickening waist anyway...
I find that madopar works best on an empty stomach with lots of water, preferably tepid. Paradoxically, I also find it doesnt kick in until i have eaten something afterwards. from my experience, fruit doesnt cause a problem though fruit juice seems to. Milk seems to be a big no-no for me and slow-digesting food like meat. Many people swear my a little cheese. From what i have read I don't think grehlin would make a difference immediately but rather over a longer time but i may be wrong.But the cells do need energy to turn the levadopa into dopamine - perhaps thats why a little sugary or fatty food helps? but lots of water is definite.
thanks turnip, I agree completely on madopar and an empty stomach and lots of water, my neuro says that flushes it thru to your duodenum where it is absorbed, rather than stuck in your stomach where it is not. I think you are also right, ghrelin probably is a long term thing if neuorprotective, but reading about its function is that it increases alertness and concentration in short term. The idea is that it helped early humans hunt when hungry. I am undoubtedly putting 2 and 2 together to make 5, but you never know there could be something in it. If taken after meals my madopar lasted 5-6 hours, but now before meals barely 4. But that was then, and this is now, and the disease has progressed, so maybe that's the only reason.
Here in Jakarta people fast for religious reasons, so as they say, when in rome....Nothing to lose except my fat
I will post here if I have anything of interest to report!
interesting. though people with pd seem to lack ghrelin so it might not be produced.
agree completely that getting the tablet into the duodenum is the thing - i suspect when people feel nauseous its cause its stuck in the stomach. i also read that it functions best when it contains tepid liquid. also foods that require a lot of stomach acid cause the duodenum to produce a sort of ant-acid phlegm which i suspect stuffs up the madopar eg meat, good luck with going hungry.
