Parkinson's Awareness Week Please Read Approx 1154 words

Parkinson’s Awareness Week Please Read

I have written in general terms about Parkinson’s, the effect the condition has on me and how having it has impacted on my relationship with my family. So, today I thought I would try to give you some idea of the diversity of symptoms that a person might get and so I will list some of the titles of various information sheets that Parkinson’s UK have produced but it is not a comprehensive list by any means as I have just counted twenty-four titles but the first on my list is; Anxiety and Parkinson’s, then; Parkinson’s and Tremor; Sleep and Night-time Problems; Restless Legs Syndrome; Skin, Scalp and Sweating Problems; Low Blood Pressure; Dementia and Parkinson’s; Depression and Parkinson’s; Hallucinations and Parkinson’s and finally Muscle Cramps and Dystonia.

Today I was going to write something about the various drugs used to alleviate the symptoms of Parkinson’s but before I do I think I would like to tell you about a lady, let’s call her Lady E, in our group who suffers very badly with her particular version of the condition. My reason for this is that, yesterday, when I started to write this, I had just come back from ten pin bowling, something about fifteen of us do every third week. This particular lady is as thin as a rake and she freezes all the time despite having a laser walking stick but she absolutely loves bowling and her determination to do what she enjoys is truly inspirational. Her Husband helps her to the line but quite often she needs another person the other side of her as she is in constant danger of falling because her feet will not move but her body seems almost to carry on.

We all take turns to help and yesterday I was her helper but she was really having a bad day and it was a real struggle to get her to the line. Then, on one occasion, she said, “That’s enough!” I thought she meant that she had had enough and that she wanted us to take her back but no, she was no where near the line but she indicated to be given her bowl and I jokingly said, “You’ll probably get a strike now.” Blow me she did just that…she sent that bowl flying down the lane quite a distance from the line and it was a heavy bowl. I think it might have been a fifteen. Certainly it was a much heavier bowl than I use as mine is usually an eight. Pathetic, I know, by comparison!

I love bowling too but it is more to do with being with the group and the fun we have rather than the actual bowling. However my particular love is dog training and I go three times a week to different clubs and as I am a qualified Instructor I take a class at the German Shepherd club too. I can’t walk well enough to win in competitive obedience any more so if we go to a show I don’t expect too much. Lincoln, my dog, is, however, quite highly trained as I can still teach the exercises I just can’t get the precision needed in heelwork. A lot of people think that going dog training three times a week is a bit excessive but I take the view that while I can do it I will do it and three times a week to my mind is not excessive when one doesn’t know how much longer one is going to be able to do it. And when… like yesterday, I see the determination of Lady E then I know it’s the right thing to do.

Now, however, might be an appropriate moment to write something about some of the drugs that are used to help alleviate the symptoms of Parkinson’s. Let me tell you they may help with the Parkinson’s but sometimes it seems to me the side effects they can cause are almost as bad as the condition they are supposed to help. For example, some may cause hallucinations, aggression and obsessive compulsive behaviour problems.

However the first thing we are told to bear in mind when talking about drugs is that no two people with Parkinson’s are exactly the same as each will have a different combination of symptoms. Therefore any drug treatment must be prescribed to suit the individual and each person will react to their medication in different ways. Moreover, the benefits may be for a relatively short period of time because of the progressive nature of the condition.

Each person with Parkinson’s will experience the condition differently as the rate of progression will vary quite considerably. According to the literature produced by Parkinson’s UK “The main aims of drug treatments for Parkinson’s are to: increase the level of dopamine that reaches the brain, stimulate the parts of the brain where dopamine works or block the action of other chemicals that affect dopamine as well as several enzymes that reduce dopamine’s effect.”

The first drug is Levadopa and there are several types of this drug with various brand names and people with Parkinson’s are usually started on a low dose which is gradually increased until a satisfactory response is achieved. However these drugs lose their effectiveness over time and some people may find they go “off” before their next medication is due. Another drawback with this drug is that Dyskinesias, involuntary movements, may appear and a person can suddenly switch from being “on” and able to move to being “off” and virtually immobile. Protein can interfere with the effectiveness of Levadopa too.

The other main group of drugs used to combat Parkinson’s are Dopamine agonists and these are less likely to produce Dyskinesias in patients who are on dopamine agonists alone. The advantages of these drugs is that they produce fewer long-term side effects such as “On/Off” periods and dyskinesias. However, these are the drugs thought to be responsible for sudden onset of sleep as well as the Impulse control disorder. The symptoms of this disorder are an increase in risk-taking and or gambling, binge eating/compulsive shopping and hypersexuality as well as aggressive outbursts. I’m on this drug so don’t piss me off!

Only kidding but I think I have said enough about the drugs used to help control the condition although I have only scratched the surface and I am not an expert so the reader should bear that in mind. However, I think I have also shown that these drugs bring with them their own set of problems so it is not as straightforward as one might think. It is not simply a question of popping a pill and everything in the garden is rosy. No, the garden that is Parkinson’s can sometimes be smothered in a foul smelling manure and produce a crop that was never intentionally planted!

Final part tomorrow