Day by Day with a Movement Disorder: Here I DON'T Go Again!

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder

I was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease and Peripheral Neuropathy in 2006, but my symptoms seemed to take a turn in a different direction in late 2007. The current diagnosis is ESSENTIAL MYOCLONUS. Share my journey - coping with the testing, the medicines, nutrition, digestion problems, exercise, the emotions, uncertain diagnoses and no telling what else!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Here I DON'T Go Again!

Well, the second round of Go-Lytely worked for all of two days before the constipation problem became evident again. So, I called both my Neuro and my Gastro today. My Neuro wants me to try replacing the Primidone with Gabapentin, which is the generic form of Neurontin. This is another one of the anti-seizure meds that is prescribed for all kinds of off label uses, including Peripheral Neuropathy, Tremors, and Myoclonus.

I've used this Drug Interaction Checker to see if I could take the Neurontin while the Primidone was still in my system, and that's OK. So I should be alright changing over to the Gabapentin tonight. The half life of Primidone is 14 hours, so half the dose will be out of my system by 9:00PM tonight. I'll take the Gabapentin before bed, and almost all the Primidone will be out of my system by tomorrow morning.

As I would have suspected, the list of possible side effects is long, and one of them is constipation. But, diarrhea is also in the list. I can only hope that it will control my Myoclonus as well as the Primidone has, and head me in the direction of diarrhea, rather than constipation! Only time will tell.

I feel like I've come full circle taking this medicine, as our older daughter (who suffered from Peripheral Neuropathy as a result of Gastric Bypass Surgery) was put on Neurontin about the same time I was finally getting my Neurologist's diagnosis of Peripheral Neuropathy and Parkinson's Disease.

Labels: elimination difficulties, Essential Myoclonus, Gabapentin, off label, peripheral neuropathy

3 Comments:

At 11/19/2008 9:58 PM , Joe said...

DB, I do not envy you at all. I am all to familiar with the constipation both caused by PD, and drug induced from the PD meds.

Personally I would much rather deal with going to much, than not at all.

Pardon the pun, but I hope everything comes out all right for you :-)
At 11/19/2008 10:03 PM , Joe said...

Also, I'm surprised the Go Lytely didn't work for you. The standing joke in the facility where I work is that it should have been named "go fast and furious!"

On a more serious and perhaps more helpful note, there is a product called Miralax that might work for you. It's a prescription medication that comes in a white powder form that has to be dissolved in at least 8oz of H2O. When it is dissolved it is totally clear and tasteless. We use that for quite a few people. it seems to work well when nothing else does.

Just a thought.
At 11/20/2008 5:11 AM , Dirty Butter said...

Hi Joe,

I was surprised that the first Go-Lytely didn't take care of it, too. But it was evident when I did the second round that it had not completely worked the first time.

As for Miralax, it's one of the Bowel Retraining meds I have been taking now for several years, and I love it. It can be bought at Walmart in the large bottle now over the counter.

It goes in my cereal and I never know it is there.

My Gastro has upped me to two doses of Miralax a day, so I am having an early evening snack of prune juice laced with it. It's drinkable, but certainly not a favorite.

It's good to hear from you again. I'll stop by and see what you have been doing. I hope it's better than what I have!!