How to Treat Parkinson's Disease

There is good news today for the 1.5 million people who suffer from Parkinson's disease - a chronic brain condition that affects the muscles and can cause weakness and coordination problems. Progressive treatments enable many victims to continue to function on a high level.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Books On Medical Conditions
• Physician Directories
• Anti-Parkinson's Drugs
• Medical Journals

1. Ask your doctor about taking Levodopa (or a generic version of this anti-Parkinson's drug) to control the symptoms. Understand that this medication is converted by the brain into dopamine, which is a chemical that is reduced in Parkinson's patients and is necessary to send signals to the muscles for them to function correctly.

2. Find out about taking Levodopa along with a second drug called cadbidopa. Cadbidopa increases the effectiveness of the Levodopa and also helps to minimize nausea, which is a common side effect.

3. Ask about other antiviral drug options that can help to reverse the effects of Parkinson's.

4. Ask your doctor to prescribe a drug that can help control tremors if this is a serious problem.

5. Ask about new treatments, such as surgery, to reduce the tremors and other disabilities that occur with Parkinson's, or deep brain stimulation, in which an electrode is planted inside the brain and is controlled by the patient with a magnetic on/off switch.

6. Remember that brain surgery is a final option when patients do not respond to anything else.

7. Consider undergoing physical or occupational therapy to learn how to dress, shower, eat and perform other everyday tasks smoothly once again.

8. Look into speech therapy if you feel you need help with communication.

9. Keep in mind that you may want to seek counseling to help you adjust to your diagnosis and the changes it means for your lifestyle.

Tips & Warnings

• Realize that some drugs that you take will have side effects.
• Understand that medications cannot cure the disease but can help make it manageable.
• If you have any questions or concerns, contact a physician or other health care professional before engaging in any activity related to health and diet. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment.

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on 6/30/2006 Many with Parkinson's disease have intractable spasms or bouts of freezing. If you have regular Sinement on hand (not the CR), you can crush this up and place it in a carbonated beverage (such as cola) and drink this. This will help the Sinemet kick in much faster, usually in less than 20 minutes.

Sleep disturbances are common on Parkinson's disease. A great medicine for this is Klonopin (clonazepam) taken at bedtime.

on 11/22/2005 I was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease 4 years ago. The side effects of the medication are pretty awful, but I have found I feel a lot better if I drink plenty of water, and eat a healthy diet, especially with fresh fruit. When I lapse into not drinking a great deal, or go onto a poor diet, I become very depressed, feel stodgy and slow.