Hi all. Jr has asked me to ask if anyone has the same problem as him and how do they deal with it. When he gets into bed he is asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow. Then he wakes up between 1 and 3 and is wide awake. He also has vivid dreams and occasionally I have heard him wailing.
He is taking 4 Sinemet plus a day and takes the last one at 7 o'clock. He is not at ease with forums so has asked me to ask for him.His next neuro appt is in August. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks flo

Hi flo,

I think not being able to sleep goes with pd -its the medication that can cause sleep problems

tulip

Hello flo,

My husband is also on 4 Sinamet plus a day. He takes the last one at 6pm. He is also on Neupro patches. He has bad insomnia but has found that things have improved a bit by not having any tea or coffee after 6.pm.

He does have Clomazapam to take as needed, but he rarely does as it makes him so groggy the next day. He only takes 0.5 mcgm, which is a tiny dose.

As has been said insomnia seems to be one of the real bugbears of PD.

Sosrry I forgot. He also has vivid dreams and occasionally sees people who disappear when he blinks. It doesn't worry him. Our Neuro says it is the medication.

Hi Flo,

The vivid dreams and wailing could be a sign of REM sleep disorder which is quite common with PD. As I understand it, we all have a mechanism that shuts down our body movements during dreams so only the eyeballs move (hence REM sleep = Rapid Eye Movement sleep). In PwPs, this shut-down mechanism is often affected so that they act out their dreams.

My husband has REM sleep disorder. In addition to vivid dreams he started talking very loudly and clearly in his sleep, jerked about lots, and had a period of sleep walking. He is now getting muscle relaxants (Rivotril) at night which really helps. He probably still has the dreams (though doesn't remember them), but he no longer twists and shouts in his sleep.

All the best,
Marie

Hello Tulip,
This question might be under the wrong heading, but the topic is not.
Since starting Low Dose Naltrexone, has your sleeping improved from the initial disruption since starting this medication?
Regards
Adrian

Hello Panda692 and MarieL, thank you for replying. He was saying to me whether it would be ok to take another sinemet to see if that would help. Or, perhaps he needs to be on more medication. His symptoms are tremor, mainly on right side, but sometimes on the left and pain in his knees and shoulders.
I don't know whether he should try to see the neuro early or not. It seems to me to be a big step to go onto more meds and I know he is anxious about it. It is hard enough to get him to see his doctor and he seems to think that I will know what he should do, but I don't.
Sorry if I have gone on a bit, flo

Hello Tulip. That is the big question isn't it. Is it the PD or the medication causing the sleep problems. I asked OH if he had these problems before he went onto Sinemet and he can't remember. flo

Hi Adrian,

I would have to say that my sleeping pattern is not as hectic as it was- I was only sleeping for a very short time until about 3.00a.m. and nodding on and off until 7 when I get up - my husband says i am more restful and at ease - i sleep very soundly until approx 5- 5.30 - when i take the 4.5 mg ldn at 6.00 p.m. I get extremely tired and I have to sleep for at least half an hour it makes me very drowsy - after the half hour I am fine - but I cannot drive the car for at least an hour after I take it - from this friday I am going to take the LDN at bedtime and see how I go -

Hi Panda692,

My dad had parkinsons and suffered bad hallucinations - the care he got was minimal and he never got to see a neurologist ( if I knew then what i know now things would have been different ) - it is my firm belief that his medication was all wrong - these hallucinations were very frightening for him - I remember one day he thought he saw somebody in the mirror and he ran from the house ( this is a man that could not walk a half an hour previous) my husband had to follow him - just a bit of advice to ask questions of your husbands neuro about the medication and the hallucinations

Tulip