I am in 4th stage of PD I take 200mg Stalevo every 4 hrs around the clock and 10-100 sinemet 6am 200mg stalevo, 8am 10-100carb/levo , 10am 200mg stalevo, 12 noon 10-100 carb/levo so on and so forth around the clock giving me a total of 1800mg levodopa. If this does not relieve freezing of body and hard consistent tremoring there is nothing left and I am going home. Is any one out there on this much meds?
I know I am getting to you late but hopefully this will be helpful. My Dad is on a very similar medication schedule--he doesn't take meds at night though, I just wake him at 6am, give him the Stalevo and hopefully he sleeps til it kicks in.
One thing that has been helpful to us is to schedule his medication so that his on times are at mealtimes. So if he takes meds at 6am, he can eat at 7am and on and on through out the day. He takes the medication every 4 hours during the day. Also be careful you are not eating a lot of protein when you take your medication as it lessons the effect of the Carbidopa Levodopa, which again, is why taking the pills between meals works better.
We have a speech therapist that has been very helpful with the swallowing challenges that come with Parkinson's and has give us tons of guidance on food. He eats a lot of soft foods, crockpot soups etc. I'd definitely check in with your doctor on the depression. My mom has Alzhiemer's and she is taking Zoloft now and the difference is night and day!
How many meds are too many?
One is too many if it isn't successfully addressing a symptom. Not helping? Don't take it.
Fourteen is not enough if there is a fifteenth that would improve the effectiveness of three of the other drugs. Using too few meds or too low dosages is counterproductive. You may have side effects without having the benefits.
The right number of pills is the number when each and every pill contributes to managing one or more symptoms, and no effective pill is overlooked.
Do we have sure-fire ways of determining this level? Sorry, I don't think so. But we often can come close. Work with a doctor who is expert in your disease, and with a pharmacist. Realize that all parties are doing their best.