L-dopa for ME/CFS? Prescribed for a Patient on Twitter

ME/CFS patient on Twitter prescribed L-dopa. I am thinking this is a pretty risky drug to utilize considering what it does to Parkinson's patients long-term. Any thoughts?

The L-dopa Conundrum via Journal of Parkinson's Disease, August 26, 2013

Just an added note, Lewy Body Dementia is running on my mother's side of the family. My mother, her aunt, and most likely one of her sisters had LBD. Parkinson's and LBD are related and the difference between them is the part of the brain where the cells are dying. LBD patients develop a Parkinson's like rigidity, and many Parkinson's patients develop dementia. LBDA.org has stated that LBD is the second most prevalent dementia and is often misdiagnosed, as it was with my mother, as Alzheimer's. LBDA.org also states that LBD is more prevalent than Vascular Dementia although the organizations that support Vascular Dementia state that it is the 2nd most prevalent form of dementia. Many drugs and OTCs used for Alzheimer's and other dementia patients will accelerate LBD which we believe happened to my mother. We think she was prescribed a drug used for diarrhea prior to her experiencing hallucinations and becoming erratic; finally she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

I guess my point in posting this article is that it does not seem to be a drug ME/CFS specialists should be prescribing as there may be complications out there just waiting to rear its ugly heads in ME/CFS patients and those at risk for other disorders like I am.

Again, just wanting to know what others think about L-Dopa in general and for ME/CFS patients.

 

Did it work for/help the patient? No sense doing a cost/benefit if we don’t know if it worked....

 

you should see the ME/CFS Facebook groups.....

 

Literally no reason to prescribe to ME/CFS patients for their ME/CFS. AFAIK, there has been no mechanism proposed for ME/CFS that indicates L-Dopa as a possible intervention. Avoid.

 

Yeah, I tend to wince when you get comments whose certainty seems to be inversely proportional to the actual amount of evidence for their claim.

 

It is someone that posted today on Twitter on the #mecfs hashtag and no, they do not have Parkinson's. This is what I think, they are a guinea pig.

 

ugh...I know. My former Primary suggested Mayo Clinic for Fibromyalgia. I told him that the Mayo Clinic was clueless when it came to Fibro.

 

The patient was recently prescribed L-dopa by their ME/CFS "specialist".

 

It is a professor at SSU, which is either Sonoma State or Savannah State. An ME/CFS blogger. This person seems to be greatly misled.