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Laura’s Story: Redefining Life with Parkinson’s Disease
Finding the right treatment has made it possible for Laura to keep doing what she loves
VIDEO CREDIT: AMNEAL
For years, Laura experienced unexplained symptoms that seemed to come and go without warning. She would freeze midstride while crossing a busy street, or raise her arm involuntarily as though she was about to shake someone’s hand. She also experienced episodes of unprovoked crying.
Laura’s symptoms were a mystery and difficult to explain, particularly because they were intermittent and could suggest more than one possible cause. After many doctor’s visits and two surgeries, she finally had an answer: Laura was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disorder of the central nervous system that affects movement and muscle control. Dopamine-producing neurons in the brain are lost, leading to symptoms like balance difficulties, slowness, stiffness, and tremors.1
To Laura, her diagnosis was initially “a terrible thing” she wasn’t sure how to handle. “After the doctor tells you, ‘you have Parkinson’s,’ it feels like you are crushed,” Laura explains.
But soon, Laura found a way forward and began adapting to her life with Parkinson’s, ultimately discovering that her PD diagnosis gave her purpose. She used her professional background in advertising and public relations to create color-coded medication trackers and visual guides to stay on top of her symptoms and treatment schedule. Her drawings about navigating life with PD became resources for others in her support group.
However, her medication management remained a challenge. She found that the immediate-release (IR) medication she was on required a strict schedule and precise planning. Laura started to realize that managing her treatment schedule was almost harder than managing her disease.
“I felt like I was living by a stopwatch,” she says. “It created a kind of mental noise that never stopped.”
Levodopa is a common treatment that helps create periods called “On” time, when symptoms are well controlled.2 The most helpful of these periods are known as “Good On” time, when medication is working without troublesome involuntary movements, or dyskinesia, that some treatments can cause.3 As PD progresses, some people may experience more “Off” time, when symptoms return between doses.2 Managing these fluctuations can sometimes involve taking more immediate-release medication throughout the day, adding to the burden of staying on schedule.4-7 Because of these challenges, there is ongoing interest in treatment options that can offer longer stretches of “Good On” time with fewer doses.2
Laura was ready for a treatment that may help with her dosing schedule. Today, she takes CREXONT® (carbidopa and levodopa) extended-release capsules, an innovative oral medication that was shown in a clinical trial to require less frequent dosing than IR carbidopa/levodopa.8
For Laura, the possibility of a less frequent dosing schedule meant more time focused on the activities that matter without anticipating her next dose. As a result, her days are now less about managing her medication schedule and more about returning to her favorite hobbies, like painting and traveling.
PHOTO CREDIT: Amneal
“With CREXONT, life includes more ‘Good On’ time that allows for beloved activities, a sense of purpose, and a natural, familiar rhythm,” says Laura. "You can tell by my dancing. When I dance across the room, that’s ‘On’ time,” Laura says with a smile.
According to Laura, a PD diagnosis doesn’t have to be the end of anyone’s story. She lives each and every day with intention, enjoying cruises with her husband and spending time with her great-grandchildren. She also leads a support group and continues designing resources that include symptom journals and daily affirmations to help others living with PD.
“Parkinson’s doesn’t stop me from being myself,” she says. “I feel like I’ve found my pace again.”
Click here for more Parkinson’s patient experiences like Laura’s and for more information about CREXONT
Laura’s experience with CREXONT is her own and may not reflect the experience of every patient. For some people, CREXONT may cause falling asleep during daily activities. Side effects may include nausea and anxiety. Individual results will vary. Always speak with your doctor to determine if CREXONT may be right for you. Only a healthcare provider can assess your condition and guide you to the appropriate treatment options.
PP-ADW-CREX-US-0199
Sources:
- NINDS. Parkinson’s disease: challenges, progress, and promise. Reviewed February 2025.
- Olanow CW, Obeso JA, Stocchi F. Drug insight: continuous dopaminergic stimulation in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Nat Clin Pract Neurol. 2006;2(7):382-392.
- Hauser RA, Deckers F, Lehert P. Parkinson’s disease home diary: further validation and implications for clinical trials. Mov Disord. 2004;19(12):1409-1413.
- Oonk NGM, Movig KLL, Munster EM, Koehorst-Ter Huurne K, van der Palen J, Dorresteijn LDA. The effect of a structured medication review on quality of life in Parkinson’s disease: the study protocol. Contemp Clin Trials Commun. 2019;13:100308.
- Calabresi P, Di Filippo M, Ghiglieri V, Tambasco N, Picconi B. Levodopa-induced dyskinesias in patients with Parkinson’s disease: filling the bench-to-bedside gap. Lancet Neurol. 2010;9(11):1106-1117.
- Soileau M, Pagan F, Fasono A, et al. Comparative effectiveness of carbidopa–levodopa enteral suspension and deep brain stimulation on Parkinson’s disease-related pill burden reduction in advanced Parkinson’s disease: a retrospective real-world cohort study. Neurol Ther. 2022;11(2):851-861.
- Rodríguez-Violante M, Ospina-García N, Dávila-Avila NM, Cruz-Fino D, Cruz-Landero ADL, Cervantes-Arriaga A. Motor and non-motor wearing-off and its impact in the quality of life of patients with Parkinson’s disease. Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2018;76(8):517-521.
- Hauser RA, Espay AJ, Ellenbogen AL, et al. IPX203 vs immediate-release carbidopa-levodopa for the treatment of motor fluctuations in Parkinson disease: the RISE-PD randomized clinical trial. JAMA Neurol. 2023;80(10):1062-1069.
CREXONT® Important Safety Information
INDICATION
CREXONT® (carbidopa and levodopa) extended-release capsules is a prescription medication for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, Parkinson’s disease caused by infection or inflammation of the brain, or Parkinson’s disease-like symptoms that may result from carbon monoxide or manganese poisoning in adults.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Do not take CREXONT with antidepressant medications known as nonselective monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors.
Do not take CREXONT with other carbidopa-levodopa preparations without consulting your healthcare provider.
CREXONT may cause falling asleep during activities of daily living, somnolence, or dizziness. Avoid activities that require alertness such as driving and operating machinery until you know how CREXONT affects you.
Your doctor should evaluate vitamin B6 levels before and during treatment with carbidopa/levodopa therapies as seizures associated with low levels of vitamin B6 have been reported. Traditional anti-seizure medications were not effective, and seizures were only resolved after vitamin B6 administration.
The most common side effects that may occur with CREXONT are nausea and anxiety.
It is important to avoid sudden discontinuation or rapid dose reduction of CREXONT. If you are discontinuing CREXONT, work with your healthcare provider to taper the dose over time to reduce the risk of fever or confusion.
You may take CREXONT with or without food, but taking it with food may decrease or delay its effect. Consider taking the first dose of the day about 1 to 2 hours before eating.
Swallow CREXONT whole. Do not chew, divide, or crush CREXONT capsules. If you have difficulty swallowing the capsule, twist apart both halves and sprinkle the entire contents of both halves of the capsule on a small amount of applesauce (1 to 2 tablespoons). Consume the mixture immediately. Do not store the drug/food mixture for future use.
Do not take CREXONT with alcohol.
Tell your healthcare provider if you:
- Have any heart conditions, especially if you have had a heart attack or irregular heartbeats
- Experience hallucinations or abnormal thoughts and behaviors
- Have an inability to control urges to gamble, have increased sexual urges, or experience other intense urges
- Have thoughts of suicide or have attempted suicide
- Have abnormal involuntary movements that appear or get worse during treatment
- Have ever had a peptic ulcer or glaucoma
- Become or intend to become pregnant. Based on animal data, CREXONT may cause fetal harm
- Are breastfeeding during therapy
To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Amneal Specialty, a division of Amneal Pharmaceuticals, LLC at 1-877-835-5472 or the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.
Please read the full Prescribing Information. For more information talk to your healthcare provider.
CREXONT® is a registered trademark of Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC. © 2026 Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC. Distributed by Amneal Specialty, a division of Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC. All rights reserved.
PP-ADW-CREX-US-0199 10/2026
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