Category Archives: drug interactions

MAO Inhibitors and 5-htp

Question:

Do you know anything about 5-HTP? it is 5-Hydroxytryptophan which is a precursor of serotonin. Friends with PD tell me it gives them more energy and I tried it and it did but then I did a little research and found it is very dangerous if you are taking MAO inhibitors.

What do you know?

Thanks

Darra

Response:

There are potentially serious side effects associated with MAO inhibitors that can be triggered by the addition of any supplement or certain foods. I would certainly be very cautious in any decisions that you make with regard to supplements and diet and would recommend that you consult closely and regularly with your physician.

I am not in a position to address the specifics of your question for several reasons. First and foremost is that any decision hinges on the full complement of drugs, supplements and food that you ingest. Such decisions can involve very complicated analysis interactions and drug depletions. You do not list them – so there is no beginning point.
Second, I am not qualified to provide such an analysis! These decisions involve extensive information about side effects and drug depletions. I suggest that you seek out a consultation with a nutritional counselor. We refer clients who have questions like yours to get consultations with Compounding Pharmacists Randy Mentzer here in Olympia, Washington. Randy offers long distance consultations for people currently experiencing the symptoms of Parkinson’s.

I can report that 5-HTP does not float to the top in the list of supplements that help people who currently experience Parkinson’s symptoms. If the issue turns on needing an energy boost, the best place to focus your attention is on nourishing the mitochondria (which occupy each cell and produce the ATP which gives us energy). Listen to my radio show with Randy Mentzer. One of the topics he covers in this show is how to reverse low cellular energy. Possible remedies include N-Ribose, CoQ10 and oxygen.

May your energy return quickly and effortless whatever choice you make

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery

Books
Road to Recovery from Parkinsons Disease
Pioneers of Recovery
Five Steps to Recovery

Resources
Vibration Therapy
Dehydration Therapy: Aquas
Parkinsons Recovery Membership
Parkinsons Recovery Chat Room
Eye Drops for Cataracts
Symptom Tracker
Parkinson’s Disease News


Persantine and Parkinson’s Disease Symptoms

Question:

I was told by my doctor to have A MIBI stress test which is a Nuclear Medicine test that If you are unable to perform the stress test on the treadmill, a drug called PERSANTINE will be given to you. Does it have any harmful effects on PD patient?

Thank you

Response:

As a general rule, any FDA approved drug has side effects and involves a certain degree of risk. You can always search on the FDA website (http://www.fda.gov/drugs/drugsafety) to discover the side effects of any drug.

My research did not reveal any information about Persantine. As best I can determine, it was approved for use by the FDA in 1987, but withdrawn from the FDA approval list in 2005.

it looks to me like a similar drug is now available called Aggrenox which has dipyridamole as the primary ingredient. It appears to act much like aspirin. You might want to review the articles below and consider consult with a pharmacist who can surely provide a list of possible side effects.

As for specific interactions with a persons with Parkinson’s symptoms, that is a wide open issue. It really depends on what are the presenting symptoms, what drugs and supplements you might be taking at the time, etc.

Here are a few website references I found that might be of interest:

PERSANTINE – dipyridamole

http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/ucm111085.htm

http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/05-4158.pdf

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/ob/docs/obdetail.cfm?Appl_No=012836&TABLE1=OB_Rx

http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/ac/99/slides/3510s1/

http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/ac/99/transcpt/3510t1a.pdf

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery

Resources

Cruise to Alaska
Jump Start to Wellness
Parkinsons Recovery Chat Room
Symptom Tracker
Parkinsons Recovery Radio Network
Aqua Hydration Formulas

Books

Road to Recovery from Parkinsons Disease
Pioneers of Recovery

Five Steps to Recovery
Meditations for Parkinsons

Epinephrine, Novocaine and Mercury Amalgams

Today, I had two old, mercury amalgam patched gold crowns removed. They said they took out a LOT of Mercury amalgam from under the crown.  They will replace them with Zirconium crowns that the man who analyzes the Clifford tests suggested to my dentist.  That man at Clifford would also be very interesting to interview. He has a wealth of info about compatible dental materials.

Another issue is the difficulty that epinephrine can cause.  One woman new to our support group never had a tremor until recently when she was given pain killer containing epinephrine and she has not stopped having tremors since that dental appointment.  Another woman said her “Parkinson’s” began at a dentist appointment. Our group leader asked his dentist who had been to a special conference where they said not to use Novocaine with epinephrine with people who have neurological challenges.  Another man was given a copy of the printed info that comes with both kinds of pain killer. Today my dentist gave me plain Novocaine without epinephrine.  After 2 hours of sitting while they worked I was shaky all over but it did go away.  It felt like it might be my body adjusting to the big clump of amalgam leaving.  I feel much better tonight.

I strongly feel people with Parkinson’s or a pre-disposition (heredity) should be informed about this issue and choice.  My dentist said they keep both kinds of pain killer available because there are people who are sensitive. (Also, the dermatologist uses pain killer with epinephrine and could be asked to use a non-epinephrine alternative.)

What are others learning about this issue?

Karen

Parkinson’s Medication, Treatment and Recovery

Questions:

I would like to know more about the recovery program.

What products are available though your organization?

Do you recommend Zandopa? What homeopathic products can / should one use? I am considering the membership, but I am not so sure how beneficial it is. Your-e-mails are excellent, I love to read them. I live in Canada BC and I might not have access to any clinic which is similar than yours.

I really believe that my body can heal itself if I give it a chance – right support.

Response:

Thanks for your email inquiring about Parkinsons Recovery. As for membership, I recommend that you visit the website daily for a month and just see if the visits are helpful. 

 Logon to the website here:

 http://www.member.parkinsonsrecovery.com/amember/login.php

username: recover
password: ready

Information is updated daily. The idea is that recovery is a process, so when you visit the website every day, you are setting the intention to get well. 

Parkinsons Recovery products are listed on the member website. Click on the picture of books. I am always adding new products every month. I just released a series of meditations which you can also hear on the member website by clicking on the meditation icons once you land on the member web site.

As for recommendations of medications, I have to roll over dead so to speak. I am not a medical doctor and so am not qualified to speak to that specific question. Rather, I am a researcher and can tell you a lot about what people do to get great relief from their symptoms. 

Be sure to read the side effects of any medications you take. Often what you may think are the symptoms of Parkinsons are actually the side effects of medications you are taking. That news is a relief to many people!

I am so happy to hear you find my newsletters helpful. Be sure to listen to the interviews and the teleseminars this month. Some awesome information is coming through. 

I do know that recovery requires patience and commitment. It happens for people who are determined to make it happen. 

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D. 
Parkinsons Recovery     
www.parkinsonsrecovery.com

Toxins in the Body or Drug Interactions?

Question:

A good friend is suffering from atypical
Parkinson’s – no more specific diagnosis yet:
Speech almost incomprehensible, weakness,
exhaustion, cramps, falls.

No tremor. Worsening very fast. She is 55
years old. She was on lithium for more than
25 years; Was weaned slowly and off completely
one week ago. Weaned off Depacote June 07.
Took other meds with lithium over the years
for bipolar swings.

She currently is off all meds except vitamin D
and some Bs. Randy Mentzer sounds like he might
have insight into whether and how drugs could
underlie, worsen or improve her condition. To
convince her to get a consult I need more
information about whether he has background
relevant to her specifics.

Please advise re Randy Mentzer or any other resource –
diagnostic or palliative – that might be useful.

Response:

My extensive experience in researching the
factors that produce the symptoms of Parkinsons
lead me to conclude that your friend’s quite
serious complications are caused by possible drug
interactions, drug depletions and/or toxicity.

Taking lithium for 25 years could have led to
chronic (or therapeutic) toxicity. The symptoms
of lithium poisoning are similar to those
that you describe. Drugs can remain in the
tissues of our body long after we stop
taking them.

As you state, she has also taken other medications
which might have exacerbated her symptoms. Thus,
there may be drug-drug interactions at play here.

Taking a medicine for a protracted period can
also induce mineral, vitamin and hormonal depletions.
So, on top of everything else, your friend may be
experiencing the effects of drug depletions.

For clients of ours with such problems, we always
refer them to Randy Menzer who does the research
necessary to figure out what might be causing the
symptoms. Some people give consultations by
talking off the top of their heads. Randy asks
a ton of questions, takes copious notes, researches
each person’s unique situation and prepares an
extensive report which you can take to your doctor
for review and further discussion. Every person’s
situation is unique and Randy treats it as such.

If this were me, I would get a consultation from
Randy. I strongly advise that your friend get a
drug consultation from someone who has expertise
in this area if they are not called to contact Randy.
Perhaps you can find a person in your area who has the
expertise to provide such a consultation.

I personally like Randy because he suggests ways
to address the problems that are created by
drug interactions. I have known him to spend
hours and hours doing research for a single
patient. I trust Randy and that is why I refer
people to him.

You can hear him talk about these issues here:

http://www.parkinsonsrecovery.com/randy.html

I also like the work of Dr. Ivy Faber. She uses
a diagnostic approach and then addresses the
problems that present themselves with
natural treatments that do not overwhelm the
capacity of the body to heal. You can check out
her information here:

http://www.parkinsonsrecovery.com/ivytest.html

In short, the symptoms that are presenting
themselves are clearly serious. They may also
be symptomatic of a drug withdrawal. Symptoms of
Parkinsons typically evolve much more slowly
than what you describe in your letter.

I hope my correspondence encourages your friend
to get a consultation with someone as soon as
possible who is knowledgeable about drug-drug
interactions, toxicity and drug depletions.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
www.Parkinsons Recovery

© 2008 Parkinsons Recovery

Are the Medications and Supplements You Take Doing More Harm than Good? Find Out Wednesday

You are in store for a real treat. I have the pleasure of interviewing Randy Mentzer on Wednesday, September 24th. Randy is a certified nutritional counselor, a registered pharmacist in the state of Washington and the world’s expert on medicines, diet, herbs and supplements.

Could your Parkinson’s symptoms be caused in part to the particular combination of medicines, supplements and herbs that you take and the food you eat? Randy tells me there is almost a 100% chance of problems if you are taking five or more medications.

EVENT:  Interview with Randy Mentzer, PPH, FIACP, CCN
DATE & TIME: Wednesday, September 24th at 8:00am Pacific
FORMAT: Simulcast! (Attend via Phone or Webcast — it’s your choice)
TO ATTEND THIS EVENT, CLICK THIS LINK NOW…
http://instantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=4225818