What Medicine Do You Take For Parkinson’s Disease

If I Cannot Take A Particular Medicine Are There Others That Are Equally Good

Some medications interact with others so you should always discuss any change in medication with your doctor so that together you can find a substitute that works for you.

Most medications have two names. One is a generic name that always uses a small letter and describes the active ingredient in the medication, for example;co-careldopa. This is likely to be the same name no matter what country you live in. The other is a brand or trade name by which the medication is marketed.;This can vary from country to country and always uses a capital letter, for example Sinemet.;

See also;Types of medication.

Not All Drugs In These Classes Will Cause Symptoms Of Parkinsonism

Whats the difference?

Drug-induced parkinsonism usually develops on both sides of the body, while typical Parkinsons disease does not. Also, drug-induced parkinsonism usually does not progress like typical Parkinsons.

Unlike Parkinsons, drug-induced symptoms usually go away after the drug is stopped. It may take several months, though, for the symptoms to completely stop. If the symptoms remain, then it is possible that the drug may have unmaskedunderlying Parkinsons disease.

Who is at risk?

• Female: Women are twice as much at risk as men.
• Elderly: Older people are more likely to be on multiple medications or to have underlying Parkinsons disease.
• Those with a family history of Parkinsons disease.
• People with AIDS.

Natural Remedies And Treatments For Parkinsons Finalnote

So there you have our top 10 natural remedies andtreatments for reversing Parkinsons disease. We believe this is one of the most informative andthorough health articles on this disease youll find anywhere on the internet. Ifyou follow these 10 tips to-the-letter and continue to use them consistently,we guarantee that in 3-6 months time you will be truly astounded at themiraculous level of improvement youll see. In 12 months time you will scarcely;recognize yourself! . But of course, you must stickwith them and follow through with each remedy every day if you want them towork. We sincerely hope you do.

Good luck and best wishes.

P.S.;Because Parkinsons is closely linked to Alzheimers disease and actually goes under the dementia umbrella, we recommend you take the time to read our Powerful Natural Remedies for Dementia and Alzheimers article for a more complete and comprehensive understanding on the causes and treatments for these diseases. You can click on the link below to go there

Also Check: Can Parkinson’s Run In The Family

Natural Treatment For Parkinsons #3 Turmeric And Otherherbs And Spices:

A recent study published in the journal Stem Cell Research & Therapy, foundthat the extracts in turmeric, particularly curcumin and the newly discovered Ar-turmerone,can regenerate a damaged brain and reverse neurological disorders.; Researchers said Ar-turmerone is a promising candidate to supportregeneration in neurologic disease. Michigan State University researcherBasir Ahmad also found that a compound in turmeric may help fight Parkinsonsdisease by disrupting the proteins responsible for the disease.

Another study published in the Pharmacognosy Magazine found that tumeric can prevent and evenreverse the toxic effects exerted on the brain from fluoride exposure. Fluorideis a nasty and dangerous heavy metal that destroys brain cells and the intricateworkings of the central nervous system. Fluoride poisoning has also beenimplicated in the development of neurological diseases such as Alzheimers,Parkinsons, ALS and multiple sclerosis. 7

Turmeric is also a very potent anti-inflammatory spice. Because Parkinsons is aninflammation type disease, turmeric will help immensely. A heaped teaspoon ofhigh quality turmeric powder taken 3 times daily in asmoothie will do the trick. Just make sure you combine it with 10-12 blackpeppercorns for enhanced absorption Turmeric is also fat soluble so youll need tocombine it with some coconut oil, red palm oil or fish/krill oil as well.

Taking Care Of Business

The Parkinson’s Foundation has developed a thorough guide to getting your household and personal documents organized at www.parkinson.org

• Organize your medical histories
• Keep a journal of medications and dosages
• Organize your personal financial documents
• Insurance and long-term care plans
• Livings wills, durable power of attorney, advanced medical directives

Also Check: Life Expectancy With Parkinson Disease

How Does Alcohol Affect Parkinsons Medication

The interaction between Parkinsons medications and alcohol is a common topic on MyParkinsonsTeam. I miss my red wine and whiskey on occasion, one member wrote. I found that it just makes my meds stop working. Another member said, My husband has been told he shouldn’t drink with his meds.

Alcohol can exacerbate the side effects of one of the most common Parkinsons medications, levodopa/carbidopa. Many neurologists recommend avoiding alcohol while taking this drug.

I have to limit myself to one Scotch on the rocks now, a MyParkinsonsTeam member said. I used to have three or four, but the side effects are too bad. Another wrote, Never really a good idea to mix alcohol with meds.

Whether you decide to continue your current drinking habits, cut down, or eliminate alcohol altogether, its important to listen to your body and have open conversations about these topics with your neurologist.

If you find yourself drinking alcohol to cope with other issues, such as depression and anxiety, you may find that healthy practices such as physical activity can help. In addition, participating in activities such as tai chi, yoga, and meditation may help ease the symptoms and complications of PD.

Physical And Supportive Therapies

People with Parkinsons disease should remain as active as possible, maintaining daily activities and, if possible, a regular exercise program. Support therapies from physiotherapists, occupational and speech therapists can also help with specific exercises, education and retraining to improve coordination, balance and movement. Overall fitness and good muscle tone can help minimise some of the abnormal movements associated with Parkinsons disease.

The facts on medical cannabis for treating Parkinsons

To date, no large-scale studies or peer reviewed scientific research have established the safety and effectiveness of medical cannabis for treating the symptoms of Parkinsons.

There have been a small number of randomised controlled trials conducted but these studies were too small to be meaningful and inconsistent in their approach.

Parkinsons NSW supports appropriate, ethical scientific research into the therapeutic benefits of medical cannabis. However, evidence of its safety and effectiveness is currently lacking.

Therefore, Parkinsons NSW does not endorse the use of medical cannabis for the treatment of Parkinsons.

We recommend that you do not rely on the internet, social media or word of mouth for information about medical cannabis.

If you are considering any form of unproven therapy, first talk to your GP and neurologist about the potential benefits, risks and costs involved.

References

Warning!

Supporting You

Also Check: Is Parkinson’s Disease Fatal

Mechanism Of Action Of Available Drugs

The major classes of drugs currently available for the treatment of idiopathic Parkinson’s disease are shown in Table 1. Many aim to increase dopamine in the brain, by increasing its production or altering its metabolism .

Drugs with alter metabolism in boxed red italics

Levodopa

Levodopa is absorbed from the small intestine and transported into the brain where it is converted to dopamine. Levodopa has a short plasma half-life of about one hour. Early in Parkinson’s disease, levodopa has a long duration of action which is independent of plasma concentration, but as the disease progresses, the duration of the effect reduces. The short-duration effect is strongly linked to plasma concentration and lasts, at most, hours.

Slow-release preparations are gradually absorbed, resulting in more sustained plasma concentrations. They have reduced bioavailability; higher doses are required to match the benefit of an equivalent strength of a standard preparation. Rapid release preparations are taken in liquid form to enhance passage through the stomach and absorption from the small intestine.

Dopamine agonists

Apomorphine is a potent emetic so patients must be pre-treated with domperidone 20 mg three times daily orally for at least 48 hours before the first injection. Domperidone should be continued for at least a few weeks once regular intermittent treatment has commenced. The dose can then be tapered slowly as tolerance to the emetic effects of apomorphine usually develops.

What’s Hot In Pd When Should You Start Medication Therapy For Parkinsons Disease

One of the most common questions that we receive on both on the Parkinson’s Foundation;Ask the Doctor forum, and on the1-800-4PD-INFO Helpline;is when should I start medications for my Parkinsons disease. This months Whats Hot in PD column will focus on this simple, but critically important question.

The most important factor in initiating medications for an individual patient is whether Parkinsons symptoms are affecting quality of life, or alternatively whether symptoms are affecting work performance. Bothersome Parkinsons symptoms commonly include motor issues , and/or non-motor issues . Most experts agree that there is no benefit to delaying medication therapy if bothersome symptoms appear, and there may be risks in delaying treatment, especially if a treatment delay results in unsteadiness, falls, and fractures.

Over the last 10-20 years the thinking has evolved on when and how to initiate medication therapy for early Parkinsons disease. Most experts agree that the medication dosage and the timing of the medication dosage should be carefully monitored in order to maximize the control of potentially responsive Parkinson related symptoms. The recommendation that patients should be started on dopamine agonist;instead of levodopa has faded over the last decade, especially with the emergence of impulse control disorders and other dopamine agonist associated side effects.

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What Is The Outlook For Persons With Parkinsons Disease

Although there is no cure or absolute evidence of ways to prevent Parkinsons disease, scientists are working hard to learn more about the disease and find innovative ways to better manage it, prevent it from progressing and ultimately curing it.

Currently, you and your healthcare teams efforts are focused on medical management of your symptoms along with general health and lifestyle improvement recommendations . By identifying individual symptoms and adjusting the course of action based on changes in symptoms, most people with Parkinsons disease can live fulfilling lives.

The future is hopeful. Some of the research underway includes:

• Using stem cells to produce new neurons, which would produce dopamine.
• Producing a dopamine-producing enzyme that is delivered to a gene in the brain that controls movement.
• Using a naturally occurring human protein glial cell-line derived neurotrophic factor, GDNF to protect dopamine-releasing nerve cells.

Many other investigations are underway too. Much has been learned, much progress has been made and additional discoveries are likely to come.

What Did It Find

• According to the UPDRS score, there was no difference in the progress of disease between the early-start group and the delayed-start group , .
• The estimated rate of change in progression of the disease, a secondary outcome, was similar in both groups between 4 and 44 weeks .
• Due to needing symptomatic relief, 87 people in the delayed-start group had levodopa before week 40.
• The estimated rate of change in progression was faster between weeks 44 and 80 in the early-start group . This means starting levodopa earlier did not slow disease progression.
• At 80 weeks, a similar proportion of participants were suffering complications, such as involuntary movements, from levodopa treatment .

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Home Remedyfor Parkinsons #5 Vitamin D & Vitamin E:

Inflammation and low immunity are two powerful factorsthat contribute to the development and worsening of Parkinsons disease. Bothvitamin D and vitamin E are strong anti-inflammatories and immune boosters. VitaminD & E also protect our brain cells and can even help damaged neurons regenerate. A deficiency of these key vitamins has also been linked to brain difficultiessuch as poor memory and recall attainability.;

In regards to PD, a study of 157 Parkinsons patientsfound that the vast majority of them had severe to chronic vitamin Ddeficiencies. The findings, published in the Archives of Neurology in March of 2011, revealed a strong linkbetween inadequate levels of vitamin D and the onset of early Parkinson’sdisease.4

Back in 2002, another study was published in the Archives of Neurology which tracked themental decline of 3,000 men and women diagnosed with Parkinsons disease over a period of 7 years. The study found the participants whose supplemental vitamin E intakewas higher experienced a 36% reduction in theseverity of their symptoms compared to the rest of the group. Another study, whichappeared in the Lancet Neurology onlinemagazine in 2005, showed that vitamin E may actually prevent Parkinsonsdisease from developing in the first place! 8;

Where to Get Your Vitamin D and Vitamin E From?

Parkinson’s Pain Can Be Linked To Depression

If exercise and/or adjusting your medications do not help with the pain, ask yourself and your doctor if you might be depressed. Pain in Parkinson’s disease is linked to depression, and treating the depression may help to diminish any persistent pains. Depression affects about 40% of people with Parkinson’s. In some cases, psychotherapy may alleviate pain from Parkinson’s.

If you don’t have depression or if the pains persist after treating your symptoms of depression, then you may want to consider seeing a pain specialist before taking over-the-counter remedies. Pain control specialists have a whole array of pain control treatments and techniques, ranging from special medications to special surgical procedures, that are known to be effective.

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Causes Of Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinsons occurs when neurons in the part of the brain that control body movement become impaired or die. These neurons are responsible for creating dopamine, an important brain chemical that is vital for normal body function.

With fewer of these neurons in the brain, insufficient dopamine is created. Scientists are still not sure what exactly causes these neurons to become impaired or die.

People with Parkinsons also lose nerve endings that produce norepinephrine, the chemical messenger of the sympathetic nervous system that controls heart rate and blood pressure. This could be why fatigue and a decrease in blood pressure regularly occur with people who have Parkinsons.

While there have been cases of the disease that appear to be hereditary and can be traced to specific genetic mutations, there isnt enough evidence yet to conclusively prove it is passed down from parents to their children.

Most cases of Parkinsons occur randomly, and researchers believe a combination of genetic and environmental factors are responsible.

About Rasagiline For Parkinson’s Disease

The cause of Parkinson’s disease is still unknown but the symptoms of tremor, stiffness and slow movement are due to there being less of a chemical called dopamine in your brain. Rasagiline increases the amount of dopamine in the brain and so helps to relieve these symptoms.

You may be prescribed rasagiline on its own as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease. It is also used alongside other treatments which contain a medicine called levodopa. When a dose of levodopa starts to wear off, the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease can return. This is known as an ‘end-of-dose fluctuation’. Taking rasagiline helps to prevent this problem.

Read Also: Average Life Expectancy Of Parkinson’s Patients

Advantages Of Comt Inhibitors

When used with levodopa, COMT inhibitors can reduce the daily off time and increase the on time.

In many cases, the dose and frequency of levodopa can also be reduced.

The terms on/off or motor fluctuations refer to the period when people can no longer rely on the smooth and even symptom control that their drugs once gave them.

Naturalremedy For Parkinsons #10 Foods You Must Avoid

There are certain foods that are known to worsen thesymptoms of Parkinsons and certain foods that are known to help. Healthadvocate, Dr Joseph Mercola, says that Parkinsons disease is primarily relatedto poor lifestyle choices, particularly poor dietary habits. Increasing yourbodys natural dopamine levels is also extremely important in your fight againstPD.

The foods and liquids you should be eating and drinkingmore of to help you along include:

·;;;;;;;;Clean Filtered Water Clean filtered water helpsto flush toxins from the body and hydrate the cells .Try and aim to drink at least two liters of water every day, and under nocircumstances drink tap water! Tap water is laced with toxic fluoride and otherchemicals and heavy metals so NEVER drink it. Buy yourself a good quality waterfilter. Its worth the investment. ;;

·;;;;;;;;Whole Foods and Raw Foods Eat plenty oforganic mixed berries, green leafy vegetables, liver , fish,eggs, nuts and seeds such as chia and flaxseeds, along with plenty of herbs andspices. When it comes to buying any of these remember fresh is alwaysbest.;;

·;;;;;;;;Consume Lots of Probiotics Good gutbacteria are needed for strong immunity and healthy digestive function, whichin turn produces healthy brain and nerve function. You can learn how to makeyour own probiotic rich foods such as kefir, sauerkraut, kombucha and yogurt hereCultures for Health.;;

The foods you should be avoiding or not eating at allinclude:

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Naturalremedy For Parkinsons #7 Omega

Animal based omega-3 fatty acids are a powerful weapon inthe fight against Parkinsons disease. One of the main fatty acids, DHA, is oneof the essential building blocks for the human brain. Half of your brain andeyes are made up of fat and a large proportion of this is DHA fat.

Omega-3 fatty acids have the unique ability to cross theblood-brain barrier, something most conventional drugs cannot do. They helpincrease dopamine levels and reduce neuroinflammation in the brain, while atthe same time, stimulating neuron growth. So basically, EPA and DHA help preventbrain cell damage and keep the nervous system in tip top working order! ;4;

Best sources of animal based omega-3s are either fishoil, cod liver oil or krill oil. High strength krill oil is the preferred option as thiscontains a substance called Astaxanthin. Astaxanthin is a potent brain food nutrientthat has been shown to prevent neurodegeneration and inflammation of the brain.For dosages, take AT LEAST the highest recommended amount listed on the bottle the same goes with fish oil or cod liver oil. You cant overdose on thesesupplements so theres nothing to be concerned about. In fact, the more omega-3syou can get into you the better the results!

In addition to this, try and eat some cold water fattyfish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines or herring 3-4 times a week foran extra supply of DHA and EPA.;