Vitamin and Parkinson's

Anonymous

Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 8:30 am
Post subject: Vitamins

Dear Ms. Holden;

Does taking supplements (multivitamins, B12, folic acid and fish oil) after dinner or after breakfast make a diffrence to the body's activities. Thank you

Back to top Kathrynne Holden, MS, RDJoined: 22 Jan 2007Posts: 94Location: http://www.nutritionucanlivewith.com/Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 6:39 pm Post subject:

Dear Friend,

Only a few supplements are of importance in PD. Iron supplements and vitamin B6 in amounts larger than 10-15 mg can interfere with levodopa absorption; these should be taken separately from levodopa by about 2 hours. Otherwise, the supplements you mention are fine; and all of them are best taken after meals, either breakfast or dinner should be okay. They should not interfere with any of the PD medications nor cause any unwanted PD symptoms._________________Best regards, Kathrynne Holden

Good question!

I ran a Google search a minute ago; here's one "reliable source" (IMHO) that provides answers of sorts:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/archive/index.php/t-3675.html
(snip):
Vitamin B6 in doses higher than 5 mg per day might also impair the effectiveness of levodopa, and should be avoided.42 However, if you take levodopa/carbidopa combinations, this restriction may not necessarily apply. Talk with your physician about an appropriate dose of vitamin B6.

(snip):

Other substances may also interact with Parkinson's drugs. Iron supplements can interfere with absorption of levodopa and carbidopa, and should not be taken within 2 hours of either medication.39 Amino acid supplements, such as BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids), can temporarily decrease levodopa's effectiveness, as may methionine and phenylalanine, two amino acids studied for treatment of Parkinson's disease.40,41

Hope this helps!