Citalopram As A Posterior Cortical Protective Therapy In Parkinson Disease
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| First Posted : August 4, 2020Last Update Posted : April 8, 2021 |
- Study Details
Study DescriptionArms and InterventionsOutcome MeasuresEligibility CriteriaContacts and LocationsMore Information
| Drug: Citalopram 20mgDrug: Placebo | Phase 2 |
| Study Type : |
| Citalopram as a Posterior Cortical Protective Therapy in Parkinson Disease |
| Actual Study Start Date : |
Study DescriptionArms and InterventionsOutcome MeasuresEligibility CriteriaContacts and LocationsMore Information
Inclusion Criteria:
What Are Some Side Effects That I Need To Call My Doctor About Right Away
WARNING/CAUTION: Even though it may be rare, some people may have very bad and sometimes deadly side effects when taking a drug. Tell your doctor or get medical help right away if you have any of the following signs or symptoms that may be related to a very bad side effect:
- Signs of an allergic reaction, like rash; hives; itching; red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin with or without fever; wheezing; tightness in the chest or throat; trouble breathing, swallowing, or talking; unusual hoarseness; or swelling of the mouth, face, lips, tongue, or throat.
- Signs of low sodium levels like headache, trouble focusing, memory problems, feeling confused, weakness, seizures, or change in balance.
- Signs of bleeding like throwing up or coughing up blood; vomit that looks like coffee grounds; blood in the urine; black, red, or tarry stools; bleeding from the gums; abnormal vaginal bleeding; bruises without a cause or that get bigger; or bleeding you cannot stop.
- Chest pain or pressure.
- Fast, slow, or abnormal heartbeat.
- Shortness of breath.
- Signs of a common cold.
These are not all of the side effects that may occur. If you have questions about side effects, call your doctor. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.
Parkinsons Risk Linked To Cymbalta Celexa Similar Antidepressants: Study
- July 12, 2018
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New research suggests that the side effects of some antidepressants, such as Zoloft, Celexa and Cymbalta, may increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease.
In a study published in the August 2018 edition of the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, researchers from the University of British Columbia say there appears to be a link between a number of popular antidepressants, Parkinson’s disease and extrapyramidal symptoms .
According to the findings, the associations were found with the use of Celexa, Cymbalta, Remeron, Lexapro, Paxil, Zoloft, Effexor, Zyban, Wellbutrin, and Prozac.
“Antidepressants are one of the most prescribed classes of medications. A number of case reports have linked these drugs to extrapyramidal symptoms , but no large epidemiologic study to date has examined this association,” the researchers noted. “We sought to quantify the association of EPSs with different antidepressants by undertaking a large pharmacoepidemiologic study.”
Researchers conducted a nested case-control study using data from June 2006 through December 2015, collected by a large claims database in the U.S. They found 3,838 subjects with EPSs and compared them to 38,380 age-matched control subjects.
The effect was not seen throughout all antidepressants, however. Atamet, Requip, Mirapex and a number of others showed no significant association.
Celexa Side Effects Linked To Serious Heart Problems At High Doses: Fda
- August 25, 2011
High doses of the antidepressant Celexa can cause abnormal heart rhythms, leading federal regulators to issue a new warning that Celexa should no longer be prescribed at doses that exceed 40 mg per day.
According to a drug safety communication issued by the FDA on Wednesday, Celexa side effects can cause prolongation of QT intervals, interrupting the regular electrical activity of the heart. This may lead to a serious and potentially fatal abnormal heart rhythm, including Torsade de Pointes.
Celexa belongs to a class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors . It was originally created in 1989 by Lundbeck, and is approved for the treatment of major depression. However, it is often used off-label to treat other psychological disorders. Celexa is available in brand name form or as a generic in 10 mg, 20 mg and 40 mg tablets, as well as a 10 mg/5 mL oral solution.
Patients with low potassium and magnesium are at increased risk of the serious heart problems from Celexa, the FDA warned. The agency also noted that data suggests doses above 40 mg per day do not provided any increased benefit for patients.
Celexa warnings will now include information about the potential heart rhythm risks, as well as the new dosage recommendations. The FDA did not provide any information about reports of serious illnesses or deaths associated with the Celexa heart problems.
Difficulties In Diagnosing Depression In Patients With Parkinson’s
- Certain symptoms of depression overlap with symptoms of PD ? for example, sleep problems and feeling slowed down occur in both conditions.
- Some experts think that depression in PD often involves frequent, shorter changes in mood versus a constant state of sadness daily.
- Many people with PD express less emotion due to the effect the disease has on the muscles of the face. This symptom, called facial masking, makes a person unable to express emotion through facial expressions.
- Many people with Parkinson’s do not seek treatment because they often do not recognize they have a mood problem or are unable to explain symptoms. For these reasons, it is helpful to ask a caregiver or loved one if he or she has noticed any changes commonly reported in depression.
What Do I Need To Tell My Doctor Before I Take Citalopram Tablets
- If you have an allergy to citalopram or any other part of this medicine .
- If you are allergic to this medicine ; any part of this medicine ; or any other drugs, foods, or substances. Tell your doctor about the allergy and what signs you had.
- If you are taking any of these drugs: Linezolid or methylene blue.
- If you are taking any of these drugs: Escitalopram or pimozide.
- If you are taking any drugs that can cause a certain type of heartbeat that is not normal . There are many drugs that can do this. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
- If you have taken certain drugs for depression or Parkinson’s disease in the last 14 days. This includes isocarboxazid, phenelzine,tranylcypromine, selegiline, or rasagiline. Very high blood pressure may happen.
- If you have any of these health problems: Long QTc on ECG or other heartbeat that is not normal, slow heartbeat, or low potassium or magnesium levels.
- If you have heart failure .
- If you have had a recent heart attack.
This is not a list of all drugs or health problems that interact with this medicine .
Tell your doctor and pharmacist about all of your drugs and health problems. You must check to make sure that it is safe for you to take this medicine with all of your drugs and health problems. Do not start, stop, or change the dose of any drug without checking with your doctor.
A Critical Reappraisal Of The Worst Drugs In Parkinsons Disease
What are the worst drugs for Parkinson’s disease patients? Couldn’t a simple list be assembled and disseminated to the Parkinson community? Recently Ed Steinmetz, an experienced neurologist in Ft. Meyers, FL pointed out to me, a list approach published in the Public Citizen Newsletter . The approach was to list every drug associated with a single confirmed or unconfirmed symptom of Parkinson’s disease or parkinsonism. Parkinson’s disease is defined as a neurodegenerative syndrome , whereas parkinsonism encompasses a wider net of drug induced and other potential causes. In parkinsonism symptoms are similar to Parkinson’s disease, but patients do not have Parkinson’s disease. Patients and family members confronted with a simple “drug list” approach may falsely conclude that most medicines are bad for Parkinson’s disease, and that any medicine may cause parkinsonism. This concept is in general, incorrect. Although the approach is well-meaning, it is in need of a major revision, as Parkinson’s disease and parkinsonism are too complex to summarize by simple lists. In this month’s column I will try to summarize the key information that patients and family members need to know about the “worst pills,” for Parkinson’s disease and parkinsonism.
A Florida Parkinson’s Treatment Blog by Michael S. Okun, M.D.
UF Center for Movement Disorders & Neurorestoration, Gainesville FL
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Data Acquisition And Pre
Task-free functional imaging was performed at rest using a TIM-Trio 3T magnetic resonance imaging scanner . A minimum of 145 volumes were acquired using an echo-planar imaging sequence . Structural Magnetization-Prepared Rapid Acquisition with Gradient Echo scans were also acquired during the same session.
In order to account for atrophy and in-scanner head movements, a pre-processing pipeline optimized for older subjects was used . We used a study-specific template generated from the Magnetization-Prepared Rapid Acquisition with Gradient Echo images using the Diffeomorphic Anatomical Registration Through Exponentiated Lie Algebra algorithm . Structural images were segmented and grey and white matter images from all participants were iteratively warped together over six steps to create the study-specific template which was then affine transformed to Montreal Neurological Institute space.
Functional images were pre-processed using a customized version of the brainwavelet toolbox. Pre-processing steps included removal of the first five volumes, coregistration of the mean echo-planar imaging image to the T1 image, transformation of the coregistered echo-planar imaging to MNI space using the flow fields generated by the Diffeomorphic Anatomical Registration Through Exponentiated Lie Algebra algorithm, slice-timing correction, combined regression of cerebrospinal fluid signal and motion derivatives, high-pass band filter and wavelet despiking .
How Is Depression Treated In Patients With Parkinson Disease
Imaging, cerebrospinal fluid, and autopsy studies indicate that depression in Parkinson disease is associated with dysfunction of basal ganglia dopaminergic circuits that project to the frontal lobes, as well as noradrenergic limbic and brainstem structures. Whether serotonin dysfunction plays a role in depression in PD is unclear.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are the most commonly used medications to treat depression in Parkinson disease in clinical practice. However, several randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses have suggested that SSRIs may be no more effective than placebo in this situation.
Positive results in randomized clinical trials have been demonstrated for nortriptyline , desipramine , venlafaxine , citalopram , and paroxetine . For example, in Parkinson disease patients that were diagnosed with depressive disorder or operationally-defined subsyndromal depression, venlafaxine extended release or paroxetine significantly reduced scores on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression compared to placebo. Both venlafaxine and paroxetine were well tolerated and did not worsen motor function.
There is a suggestion that noradrenergic or dual action antidepressants may be more effective for treating depression in Parkinson disease than SSRIs. However, whether this is an artifact of clinical-trials methodology is not yet clear, and more research is necessary.
References
Managing Anxiety And Depression In Parkinsons Disease
A combination of medication and other therapies can help ease non-motor symptoms affecting those with Parkinson’s disease.
Most people think of Parkinson’s disease as marked only by tremors, muscular rigidity and slow, imprecise movements, but Parkinson’s is more than a movement disorder.
Most people with Parkinson’s also have quite a few non-motor symptoms, such as anxiety, depression and psychosis. Many of these symptoms may have started before the Parkinson’s disease became obvious.
The effects are widespread. Several years ago, a large clinical study of more than 1,000 people with Parkinson’s disease of various durations demonstrated that only 1.4 percent of the participants did not report any non-motor symptoms.In other words, 98.6 percent of the study participants had some form of NMS. Psychiatric symptoms accounted for 60 percent, while visual hallucinations that could have signified psychosis were present in about 35 percent of patients.
That’s why taking action is important. If you or a loved one has had a new diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, we recommend an immediate evaluation for depression, mood and cognitive problems. Frequent monitoring should also be done throughout the course of the disease.
Here are some of the common symptoms and treatment methods for Parkinson’s patients with depression and dementia:
Tremor As A Side Effect From Taking Antidepressants
Is it normal to develop a tremor while taking an antidepressant? Which drugs may cause this symptom and how is it treated? Learn more about what a tremor is, the different types of tremors, and what other medications as well as medical conditions which may contribute to a tremor.
What Causes Shaky Hands It Could Be Your Medication
My hands are shaking. Is it Parkinson’s? Something else? Shakiness, or tremors, is a common problem that brings patients to my office. If you start having shaky hands, you may worry that you have Parkinson’s disease, but many other things can cause tremors—like medications. The good news is, drug-induced tremors go away with lower doses or if you stop taking the medication.
How Do I Store And/or Throw Out Citalopram Tablets
- Store at room temperature.
- Store in a dry place. Do not store in a bathroom.
- Keep all drugs in a safe place. Keep all drugs out of the reach of children and pets.
- Throw away unused or expired drugs. Do not flush down a toilet or pour down a drain unless you are told to do so. Check with your pharmacist if you have questions about the best way to throw out drugs. There may be drug take-back programs in your area.
Possible Link Between Some Statins And Parkinsons
But the connection was only seen with certain types of the cholesterol-lowering drugs
HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, June 20, 2017 — People on cholesterol-lowering statins may have a slightly increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, a new study suggests.
Researchers said the finding doesn’t prove statins are to blame. But, they added, the findings undercut the notion that statins might help protect against Parkinson’s.
Where does that idea come from? Past research has shown that people with high cholesterol tend to have a lower risk of Parkinson’s, explained Dr. Xuemei Huang, a professor of neurology at Penn State College of Medicine.
Since many of those people are treated with statins, that led to speculation that the drugs — rather thanhigh cholesterol itself — might be protective.
But so far, studies have come to mixed conclusions, according to Huang. Some have tied statins to a lower Parkinson’s risk, while others have found either no connection or an increased risk.
Enter the new study. Using medical records from over 4,600 U.S. adults — with and without Parkinson’s — Huang’s team found that statin users had a higher risk of being diagnosed with the neurological disease.
When the researchers dug deeper, they found that certain statins — those that are fat-soluble, rather than water-soluble — were tied to Parkinson’s risk.
“This doesn’t mean that statins are causing Parkinson’s,” Huang noted.
“This warrants further investigation,” she said.
Depression May Be An Early Symptom Of Parkinsons
Depression is one of the most common, and most disabling, non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. As many as 50 per cent of people with Parkinson’s experience the symptoms of clinical depression at some stage of the disease. Some people experience depression up to a decade or more before experiencing any motor symptoms of Parkinson’s.
Clinical depression and anxiety are underdiagnosed symptoms of Parkinson’s. Researchers believe that depression and anxiety in Parkinson’s disease may be due to chemical and physical changes in the area of the brain that affect mood as well as movement. These changes are caused by the disease itself.
Here are some suggestions to help identify depression in Parkinson’s:
- Mention changes in mood to your physician if they do not ask you about these conditions.
- Complete our Geriatric Depression Scale-15 to record your feelings so you can discuss symptoms with your doctor. Download the answer key and compare your responses.
- delusions and impulse control disorders
Treatment For Tremors Caused By Antidepressants
Perhaps the best solution for tremors caused by antidepressants is to stop taking the drug causing it and switch to a different medication. Tremor will generally resolve over time after the medication has been ceased, but occasionally a tremor caused by SSRIs may persist.
Sometimes, however, you may be doing so well on your medication that you don’t want to change it for fear of returning depression. If this is the case, your doctor may opt to add an additional medication to control your tremors. Some medications that may be used to manage antidepressant-induced tremors include:
- Beta-blockers
Morgan JC, Kurek JA, Davis JL, Sethi KD. Insights into pathophysiology from medication-induced tremor. Tremor Other Hyperkinet Mov . 2017;7:442. Published 2017 Nov 22. doi:10.7916/D8FJ2V9Q
Dixit, S., Khan, S., and S. Azad. A Case of SSRI Induced Irreversible Parkinsonism. Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research. 2015. 9:VD01-VD02. doi:10.7860/JCDR/2015/11394.5583
National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Tremor Fact Sheet. Updated August 13, 2019.
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Kasper, Dennis L.., Anthony S. Fauci, and Stephen L.. Hauser. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. New York: Mc Graw Hill education, 2015. Print.
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U.S. National Library of Medicine. Medline Plus. Drug-Induced Tremor. Updated 09/05/17.
Immunosuppressants: Cyclosporine And Tacrolimus
Cyclosporine and tacrolimus are immunosuppressants used in patients who have received transplants as well as those with autoimmune diseases. Up to 40% of folks taking cyclosporine may experience tremor since it interferes with dopamine receptors. Tacrolimus also causes tremors, classically of the hands.
Pro-tip: Long-acting tacrolimus, Envarsus XR, does not tend to cause the same tremor.
What Are The Treatment Options For Depression
Just as the symptoms and causes of depression can differ from person to person, so too can suitable treatment approaches. There are two main types of treatment options for depression: antidepressant medications and psychological counseling .
The Parkinson’s Foundation recommends a holistic, comprehensive approach to depression. Although antidepressants are often effective in reducing symptoms, they should seldom be used alone. In most cases, the best approach is a combination of antidepressant medication, counseling, exercise and social support.
How can you ease depression in PD? First, share your concerns with your doctor. Many movement disorders specialists now include questions about depression in their exams. If your doctor does not, raise the topic. He or she may recommend medical or nonmedical coping strategies, including the following:
Signs A Medication May Be Causing Your Tremor
Medications can both cause tremors and make them worse. Think about whether your medication is the cause of your shakiness if:
- You don’t have other conditions like low blood sugar or hyperthyroidism that cause shakiness.
- Your hands started shaking when you started taking the medication.
- You noticed the tremor when you increased the dose of your medication.
- The tremor isn’t worsening—but it’s staying the same.
- The tremor looks the same on both sides .
What Are The Different Forms Of Parkinsonism
There are three main forms of parkinsonism, as well as other related conditions.
Most people with parkinsonism have idiopathic Parkinson’s disease, also known as Parkinson’s. Idiopathic means the cause is unknown.
The most common symptoms of idiopathic Parkinson’s are tremor, rigidity and slowness of movement.
Vascular parkinsonism affects people with restricted blood supply to the brain. Sometimes people who have had a mild stroke may develop this form of parkinsonism.
Common symptoms include problems with memory, sleep, mood and movement.
Some drugs can cause parkinsonism.
Neuroleptic drugs , which block the action of the chemical dopamine in the brain, are thought to be the biggest cause of drug-induced parkinsonism.
The symptoms of drug-induced parkinsonism tend to stay the same – only in rare cases do they progress in the way that Parkinson’s symptoms do.
Drug-induced parkinsonism only affects a small number of people, and most will recover within months – and often within days or weeks – of stopping the drug that’s causing it.
Albuterol Salmeterol And Formoterol Inhalers
Albuterol, salmeterol and formoterol inhalers contain beta-agonist medications used for asthma and other respiratory conditions. Brands include Ventolin, Proair, Proventil, Serevent and Brovana. These drugs are best-known for causing medication-induced tremors. They activate the body’s “fight or flight” response, increasing levels of stress hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine, which work directly on the muscle.
Movement Disturbances Associated With Ssris
Raphael J. Leo, MDPsychiatric Times
The SSRIs have become the most widely prescribed antidepressants in the United States. With this increased use has come more information on adverse events associated with their use, such as sexual dysfunction. However, movement disturbances associated with SSRI use can adversely impact treatment. This article explains the pathology of movement disorders and describes confounding variables such as other medications, pre-existing neurological insults and the nature of case reviews. Those at risk include the elderly, patients taking neuroleptics and those exposed to high levels of SSRIs.
The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are employed to treat an array of disorders, including depression, social phobia, panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. With generally fewer side effects and better tolerability than tricyclic antidepressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitors, the SSRIs have become the most widely prescribed antidepressants in the United States.
In a review of the literature, 71 cases of SSRI-associated extrapyramidal symptoms were found . Akathisia was most common, followed by dystonia, parkinsonism and tardive dyskinesia-like states. In addition, 16 cases of worsening parkinsonism were found in patients with pre-existing Parkinson’s disease.
Pathophysiology
Who Is at Risk?
Treatment Options, Conclusion
Medications For Parkinson’s Disease
Because the loss of dopamine in the brain is the fundamental problem of Parkinson’s disease, treatment is focused on replacing dopamine to help counter the loss of motor function. Dopamine loss is not the only mechanism involved; finding other, still-unknown factors is a major challenge facing researchers. Until we have the answers, however, drug makers will continue to design medications aimed at helping the brain replace the missing dopamine.
When symptoms warrant treatment, your neurologist will consider several types of medications to reduce tremor and ease movements.
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Managing Depression In Parkinsons Disease
People with Parkinson’s, family members and caregivers may not always recognize the signs of depression and anxiety. If you are experiencing depression as a symptom of Parkinson’s, it is important to know it can be treated.
Here are some suggestions:
- For information and support on living well with Parkinson’s disease, contact our Information and Referral line.
- As much as possible, remain socially engaged and physically active. Resist the urge to isolate yourself.
- You may want to consult a psychologist and there are medications that help relieve depression in people with Parkinson’s, including nortriptyline and citalopram .
What To Do If Your Senior Has Parkinsons
If you notice Parkinson’s-like symptoms in your older adult, the first thing to do is talk with their doctor. The doctor should review their complete medication history and you should let them know about any other symptoms or changes.
Important: Don’t make any changes to medications without doctor approval – that could cause serious problems.
How Will My Doctor Diagnose My Symptoms
Diagnosis of your drug-induced tremors will start with your doctor asking you about your symptoms and medical history. A complete list of the medications you’re taking will be extremely helpful during diagnosis. Telling your doctor how often you’re having tremors can help aid in your diagnosis. The speed of your tremors can also help your doctor determine their cause.
Some important features of drug-induced tremors that distinguish them from Parkinson’s disease include the following:
- The symptoms are on both the left side and the right side. Parkinson’s disease typically affects primarily one side.
- The symptoms stop when you stop the medication. Parkinson’s disease is chronic and progressive.
- There is no brain degeneration. Parkinson’s disease is caused by degeneration in a specific area of the brain.
Your doctor might want to rule out other potential causes of tremors by performing blood tests to check for abnormal levels of certain chemicals in your blood. Problems with your thyroid can also cause tremors, so your levels of thyroid hormones might be checked.
CT and MRI scans are done by a computer and allow your doctor to see your brain. Using these scans, your doctor can potentially rule out defects in your brain that may be causing tremors.
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Parkinsonism Falls And Fracture Risk
All forms of parkinsonism, both PD and DIP, have implications for bone health. A 2014 meta-analysis on PD and fracture risk concludes that PD increases the risk of fracture.4
Given that the symptoms of parkinsonism affect balance, motor skills, gait, and the body’s ability to control movement, it is no surprise that people with PD are more likely to experience a fall than people without PD. Here is an excerpt from a 2016 study comparing the incidence of falls and fracture in PD patients:
It is estimated that 60.5% of patients with PD experience at least one fall and 39% have recurrent falls. The high frequency of falls consequently contributes to the increased risk for fractures in PD patients, which has been estimated to be approximately two times the risk in healthy controls. It has been estimated that 76% of falls in PD patients require health care services and 33% result in fractures. Falls and fractures may result in a series of unfavorable outcomes, such as disabilities and death. Furthermore, among PD patients with fractures, the mortality rate is approximately 10.6%.5
All too often, doctors prescribe these drugs without appropriate consideration of this risk. This excerpt from a study on DIP clarifies the danger of accepting a prescription of an unnecessary or inappropriate prescription drug:
Shockingly, the drugs that cause DIP are still being prescribed. This yet one more example further proving that the FDA’s drug approval process is useless.
Synopsis
Other Medications That Cause Tremors
Other psychiatric medications—such as lithium and Depakote —may also commonly cause tremor.?? Antipsychotic medications, particularly the older agents , may cause a tremor similar to Parkinson’s disease.
Extrapyramidal side effects of these drugs may also include dystonia , tardive dyskinesia , and akathisia, a feeling of restlessness which may sometimes mimic a tremor.??
In addition, there are a wide variety of other prescription drugs which may cause tremor. These include:
- Anticonvulsants
- Some heart and blood pressure medications
- Stimulants such as caffeine and amphetamines
Which Drugs Most Often Cause Tremors
Drug-induced tremors are caused by your brain’s response to the chemicals in certain medications. Drug-induced tremors can also occur as the result of withdrawal from drugs or alcohol.
Anticonvulsant drugs are among the most common causes of drug-induced tremors. Anticonvulsants are used for a variety of medical conditions, including epilepsy and bipolar disorder. Bronchodilators, which are commonly used in the treatment of conditions such as asthma, can also cause tremors.
Immunosuppressants, which are used to prevent the rejection of transplanted organs, can also lead to drug-induced tremors. Drugs used to treat a variety of psychiatric disorders such as antipsychotics, lithium, and certain antidepressants are also potential causes of drug-induced tremors. Caffeine is a stimulant that can also cause you to have tremors or can worsen existing tremors.
What Can Be Done To Treat My Tremors
Your doctor will probably ask you to stop taking the drug that’s causing the tremors. This generally happens after talking with your doctor about the potential risks and benefits associated with stopping therapy. Your doctor will also discuss possible alternative treatments with you. Your symptoms may not resolve immediately after stopping the offending medication. Symptoms usually subside in about four months, but in some cases, it may take up to 18 months.
Anyone can develop tremors from taking medication. But some people are more at risk than others. Among those at increased risk are:
- the elderly
- anyone with a history of dementia
- women
When To Be Suspicious Of Medications
In many cases, symptoms of Parkinson’s could be caused by a new medication that was started a few days or a few months ago.
In other cases, it could be caused by medications that start out at one dose and are increased to higher doses. If the dose increases move too quickly, that can also cause these symptoms.
Other factors also make it more likely that someone will develop Parkinson’s symptoms from medications. These include having a history of:
- Dementia
- Strokes or transient ischemic attacks
- Parkinson’s in the family