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What is the meaning of “Tremor”? Tremor is a medical term that means to-and-fro shaking of a body part. We doctors describe it as a pendulum-like shaking, like the pendulum of a clock (or a metronome). To-&-fro shaking of a body part is called “Tremor” Other abnormal movements are known. For example, sudden jerks of […]

Do I have Parkinson’s disease? This article is meant only for people who have Parkinson’s disease or are taking care of someone with Parkinson’s disease. It is essential to get evaluated by a specialist neurologist to be sure of the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. I do provide a simple tool for testing yourself for symptoms of Parkinson’s

Sleep problems in Parkinson’s include difficulty staying asleep (Insomnia), trashing in bed while sleeping (REM Behavior Disorder), cramping of the legs or arms while sleeping (OFF-dystonia) and finally, sleepiness or sleeping throughout the day. Each one of these has a specific treatment. Parkinson’s Sleep Problems discussed in this article 1. REM Behavior Disorder (RBD) (“I trash around

Is Depression & Anxiety common in Parkinson’s disease? Yes. Depression & Anxiety are common in Parkinson’s disease. These problems can produce significant disability. About 1 in every 5 patients with Parkinson’s disease may have Depression (Rejinders et al. 2008). Anxiety is even more common – about 1 in 4 patients with Parkinson’s disease have significant

What causes Constipation in Parkinson’s disease? Parkinson’s disease affects nerves going to the intestines. As a result, the intestines, just like the rest of the body, move slowly in Parkinson’s disease. This is the major reason why almost all patients of Parkinson’s disease also have constipation. Patients with Parkinson’s disease may also find it difficult

People with Parkinson’s disease may be afraid of being “trapped” in difficult situations: – What if I go to a marriage and start to have a tremor? – What if I am travelling and develop sudden slowness? Luckily, there are “On-Demand” therapies for such situations: Sublingual Apomorphine =======================– You place a thin film below your

Anticholinergics: Trihexyphenidyl, Benztropine. Brandnames in India: Pacitane, Parkin etc… How do these medications work? Dopamine has an enemy in the brain, called Acetylcholine. Acetylcholine actually is a good chemical with a lot of beneficial effects, but one of the things it does is to reverse some of the actions of Dopamine. Acetyl-choline & Dopamine are

Remember: Levodopa’s best friends are: Entacapone & Amantadine. The medications discussed here (the MAO-B inhibitors) are also supposedly “friends of levodopa/dopamine”. Except, two of them,  like the older brothers Karamazov, these medications are somewhat useful but full of flaws. These medications probably belong to an older generation. I use them very sparingly, if at all.

(Brand names in India: Amantrel, Parkitidin) How does Amantadine act? Amantadine is a another friend of levodopa (remember: its other friend is entacapone). While it can decrease the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, it works best when it is given to support the action of levodopa. While Entacapone can sometimes increase the side-effects of levodopa, Amantadine

Click here for the Complete Parkinson’s Patient Guide (Brand names in India: Pramipex, Pramipex ER, Ropark, Ropark XL) How do dopamine agonists work? These chemicals are imitators. They look just like Dopamine itself. They attach themselves to the same sites that Dopamine usually attaches itself. Therefore, they produce similar effects in the brain as Dopamine