Excessive stomach acidity delays stomach emptying, thus delaying the absorption of levodopa. Patients with gastritis, reflux, or chronic heartburn are at risk of other medical conditions as well, and should seek medical help.
Iron salts (such as in multivitamin tablets or ferrous sulfate tablets) may reduce the amount of levodopa available to the body. Iron salts can chelate levodopa and carbidopa, and therefore reduce the bioavailability and effectiveness of carbidopa/levodopa (Sinemet). If iron must be taken, it should not be given at the same time as carbidopa/levodopa.
Restless Leg syndrome (RLS) is a little more common among PD patients than the general population and tends to be worse at night. Symptoms typically include a deep, uncomfortable sensation in the legs (not the feet), the urge to move, stretch, or walk, and at least partial relief with movement. Some patients confuse these symptoms with wearing off of PD medications. Adding to the confusion, PD medications can relieve the symptoms, and therefore, wearing off might exacerbate RLS.
The incidence of PD: 1% over age 60, 4% over age 80. In 2012, the U.S. Census Report estimated about 43,000,000 people over 65 in the U.S. The Parkinson Disease Foundation estimates up to a million U.S. citizens have PD.
