eating protein will cause less levadopa to get through.
does anyone have any experience with different sources of protein causing more or less problems?
ie
red meat, white meat, milk, cheese, eggs, nuts, beans
which is worse which is best or do all have the same effect?

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Actually is a brilliant thought and you will do well with this illness because you think stuff through and have great humour about you . Not convinced protein stops dopamine getting through enough to even worry about . Hard to digest foods will bog down liver and slow take up rate . But i think same amount of medicine will get through - just takes longer sow iore previous one on empty stomach will have gone before uptake of next . I think all meds work for longer on

A light stomach . Have you noticed you dont get so much out of meds after taking protein then turnip ?

It is a good Q turnip. Levodopa competes with proteins in food for carriers that allow it to pass into the blood stream & cross the blood/brain barrier. I take my pills at least 1/2 hour after eating, but only because I have been told to do so not from experience. I have no idea whether animal/ plant protein differ in their effect when it comes to PD meds. I am not inclined to experiment personally (I do not eat meat) but I would be most interested in any info.

always try and give my husnband his sinemet doses in between meals only because it is what I have read . Dont really know if it makes a difference .

We normally have a main meal about 3 pm . I do find that he is a little better as the day goes on and sometimes in the evening he is much better.

Levodopa is a protein. If there is more protein about then there is competition in absorption. It is best to take levodopa three quarters to half an hour before a meal or one and a half to two hours after, although a particularly heavy meal would probably delay absorption more and requires a longer period. There is only so much room on the 'conveyor belt' in your blood that transports the levodopa to your brain. I definitely find that levodopa works most reliably( within half an hour) on an empty stomach. Its effect is more haphazard, both in when it starts to work and for how long, when my stomach has a lot of food in it.
It often says on the box to take these meds with food, because some people have a problem with nausea, but this does not mean a meal; a biscuit/slice of bread and jam will do.

can't think what dear Rubbish had said thats been removed! perhaps best not to know?

anyway, though its hard to measure i do think my madopar works better if i don't eat protein. i think meat might be the worse offender and nuts might be ok. but its so subjective that i had hoped for some evidence from other people (do two subjective views add up to a more objective view?). I wouldnt now, for example, have bacon and eggs for breakfast.

as the fast show used to put it, this week i am mostly eating dates - low protein and good for 'the digestion'.

i can't find any scientific evidence - the problem seems to be competition getting past the blood-brain barrier (reminds me of customs at an airport) so testing blood samples is no help.

hello Kate
my last post was before i saw yours.
conveyor belt, customs - perhaps most like the conveyor into the xray machine to check that its allowed into the transit lounge!

AB - 5 to 5 in the morning so i didnt take in everything you said and so repeated it!
thanks to everyone for your responses,i will re-read them when i am more with it!
back to bed for me.

turnip er al,
I have a similar concern about protein but feel its the timing of taking madopar (levadopa) in conjunction with amount of protein.

To close to mealtime and no noticeable effect but even if I take madopar 1 hour before or after the effect varies (which may be the protein).
I took the "levadopa challenge" as an out patient after my last Neuro visit.
............No food after evening meal and into day patient clinic at 10 am. Levadopa as a tablet dissolved in water and next wait an hour. Difference was measurable and lasted about an hour.
So have a base that............it works if you don't eat for 14 hours and rest for an hour after taking the levadopa. But apart from that it is hit and miss on taking Levadopa before or after a meal. Although anecdotally a light meal seems to have less effect.

westby

Yes - yellow carded - cinical - hold my hands up - fully deserved. So back to question - are all proteins equal - yes but some are more equal than others - someone had to say it - by the way turnip , great question for saturday afternoon - no wonder you have many replies