Necessary to Treat Parkinson’s at Age 82?
Question by hewen: Necessary to treat Parkinson’s at age 82?
my old mom age 82 is already taken 5 medications, now dr. asked her take another 5 more to control the early stage of Parkinson’s disease. she has been weak since taking the new 5 drugs, is it necessary to take all these many drugs, or necessary to treat parkinson’s at all. before taking all these new drug she was fine, now she is really weak..
The best answer:
Answer by Geeky McNerdy-Pants
My dad (age 67) was diagnosed with PD at age 53, has taken at least 15 different medications to “treat” the disease, and 10 of them were ineffective, not to mention the fact that one of them (Requip) caused a gambling addiction. However, when he went off his meds, he was completely immobile, sore all the time, he couldn’t even make it to the bathroom. He’s finally on some medications that work well together, and keep him mobile most days.
I would say for my dad, it is necessary to treat it, but I’m not sure about your mother. Every case is different, and if you’re truly concerned, you should get a second opinion from a neurologist.
If you know better then please let us know below.
Tagged with: Necessary • Parkinsons • treat
Filed under: Parkinsons
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
You need a second opinion,preferably from a neurologist.
Make sure all of her meds are carefully reviewed, along with the new recommendations.
It is impossible to say if the weakness is due to medications or Parkinson’s, the doctor should tell you the cause.
Yes, treat the Parkinson’s, it will improve her quality of life… if…. done correctly.
It is necessary to treat her Parkinson’s at 82. She will get stiff and immobile if she is not treated for it. She will feel better soon. Make sure she eats three meals a day and her bowels stay regular.
For her Parkinson’s she would have been placed on a dopamine substitute (levodopa) and a dopamine-agonist. A dopamine- agonist is a compound that activates dopamine receptors (in the brain) in the absence of dopamine. After some period of use the dopamine substitute loses it’s efficiency. See link below.
**When a person starts off taking levodopa their blood pressure will drop in the mornings for the first few weeks. It does get better and the feeling of ‘being heavy’ and ‘dizzy’ and feeling a need to sit or lie down every few minutes goes away. These feelings/symptoms are caused by her blood pressure dropping and other effects on the Autonomic Nervous System, due to the tablets. Taking a glass of Salvital in the morning may help.
Are the first 5 medications really necessary ?
And not just to treat ‘lifestyle conditions’ ?
If they are lifestyle conditions (see below) then :
*get your mum on an improved diet – cut down on added salt, remove visible fat from meat, remove bacon, chicken skin and processed meats from her diet. Reduce cakes, biscuits and confectioneries. Make sure she can chew well.
*get her to do some form of exercise and / practise her physiotherapy every day.
My husband has P.D. and he is on 5 different kinds of medications. Every time his doctor adds new medications, it takes my husband several weeks to get use to these new medications. He feels week and runs our of energy quick and sleeps a lot. It takes him a couple of months for him to get use to the new medications. This is normal. My husband is 74. He will need more medications by the time he is 82. Yes it is necessary for her to take what her doctors orders. They do know what they are doing. Look her doctor up. Google his/her name and see what kind of record he has and his credentials. More than likely she is with a good doctor. It is normal for them to be very weak for a few months before they get use to the new medications.
Definitely get a second opinion. And tell the current doctor about the weakness your Mother is experiencing.
I am 82. and have arthritis and COPD,but life is still sweet.
I’d seriously suggest that you ask for a referral to a neurologist who specialises in PD. Take all Mum’s meds with you when you go, and discuss the medication recommendations along with all the other aspects of treatment.
It really is important to get her on the right medications – PD is a horrible disease and with no medication she will suffer very badly. Whereas , with the correct meds her symptoms can be minimised and her life will be much more comfortable.
Don’t just go by how many tablets she is taking – if they are all necessary, then so be it. But a PD specialist will be able to rationalise the meds, and will be able to give your Mother the best possible quality of life.
This is a very important question which more doctors should read and consider.
First of all, medication, exercise, massage therapy, dietary adjustments and nutritional supplements which work well together and support each other are necessary for all Parkinson’s patients. But PD is not a condition which should be left untreated or it can progress at a horrible rate adding new symptoms along the way. Proper treatment can often provide improved quality of life.
At 82 your mother might find significant benefit to adding regular massage therapy for stiffness, range of motion and general well being. It does get those feel-good endorphins going almost as well as exercise.
Too many patients find themselves suffering almost as much from additional medication side effects and the side effects of contra-indications of the medications with each other as they do from the symptoms of the disease.
It is time for doctors to consider if a different medication can be substituted rather than added. There may be a better form of a medication in terms of timed release rather than all at once.
It is important to remember that the symptoms of PD are easily confused with a medication side effect. Orthostatic hypotension which can be seen as dizziness upon rising from bed or a chair is often a medication side effect. But OH is also a side effect of PD and MSA.
At 82 years, your mother might also be under treatment for other conditions. All of these medications must be considered before adding another layer of meds.
It would be easier to answer your question if we had a list of the first 5 meds as well as the additional medications.
One thing that I do to prepare for a neurology appointment for my husband is to make a complete list of all prescription medications, over-the counter meds, and nutritional supplements my husband is currently taking. I list the mg of the pill, the dosage per day and timing and why he is taking that medication. A copy is given to his doctor who can then include it in his record after he reviews it and asks questions…which he does.
The weakness is of concern but without knowing the medications, the dosing or the up-titration, it is difficult to say if there was any over-zealousness in prescribing.
It is possible that there are conflicts with other aspects of her daily routine. For example if she is taking Sinemet (levodopa/carbidopa) perhaps the timing with a protein meal is at odds.
I do know that last year when we had a crisis situation caused by a different medical condition, my husband’s neurologist prescribed a medication which was contra-indicated by an existing prescription for PD. I didn’t realize this until I returned home and checked for contra-indications. The bottle has never been opened.
When dealing with a condition such as Parkinson’s, a chronic progressive incurable neurodegenerative disease, the symptoms and progression will vary from patient to patient. Pre-existing conditions will also vary. Diet will vary as well. There must be a high level of shared information between doctor and patient/caregiver in order to insure that the patient is being treated and not just the disease/symptoms.
I know this can become overwhelming but I am a great believer in written lists as a means of communication with the doctor. Many of them hear better with their eyes.