Parkinson's Disease Treatment

  • Parkinson Disease
    Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder caused by malfunction and death of nerve cells (neurons) in the brain. Because of the death of nerve cells, people with Parkinson’s don’t have enough of the chemical Dopamine. This causes their movements to slow down. Symptoms get worse over time. An estimated 7 to 10 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson’s Disease. These numbers are projected to escalate sharply as more people live longer.   
Submitted by PatientsEngage on 27 October 2015

Currently there are no treatment options available for complete cure of Parkinson’s, but supportive, medical and surgical options are available to manage the symptoms and maintain quality of life.

Supportive Therapy:
Depending on your condition, physical activities like walking, swimming, dance, yoga, physiotherapy play an important role in improving the quality of life. These can be done under a trained therapist.

Medical Therapy:
Most commonly used medication is levodopa, and Sinemet (a combination of levodopa and carbidopa), which replenishes some of the depleted dopamine in the brain.

Side effects of medications:

  • Sinemet can cause dizziness or nausea and behavioural problems
  • Levodopa on long term and large doses can cause uncontrolled movements and hallucinations

Surgical Therapy:

Not all patients with Parkinson's disease are good candidates for surgical treatment. Individuals must meet certain criteria for surgical treatment.

Deep brain stimulation is a current surgical procedure for treatment of Parkinson’s disease. A pace-maker like device is inserted in the chest and leads implanted in certain areas of the brain. The pace-maker sends electrical impulses to certain parts of brain involved with movement and co-ordination through the implanted leads.

Community
Parkinsons Disease and Movement Disorder PDMDS
Condition
Parkinson Disease
Changed
Sat, 11/04/2017 - 15:31

Stories

  • Lessons Of Empathy And Acceptance From A Caregiver For 50 Years
    Veena Sheel Bhatnagar, 80, a former lecturer of Economics, has been a non-stop caregiver for over five decades to her family members, the last being her late husband Vijay Sheel Bhatnagar who had Parkinson’s Disease. Here she recounts her long journey caregiver and shares many learnings. I became a caregiver soon after my marriage in 1963 at age 22. Since then it has it has been a nonstop 50+ year journey of caregiving. Till recently, I was a looking after my husband who had Parkinson’s Disease…
  • A person with Parkinsons standing on top of the mountains with his arms outstretched
    Raising My Game Against Parkinson’s
    Pramesh Ratnakar, English professor, author, and third generation patient of Parkinson’s Disease, rues the absence of a cure, discusses Eliot and Homer in class to overcome Covid adversities and duels unrelentingly and imaginatively with the neurological condition. Plus a reflective poem by Ankur Bashar, his student and film maker who also made the film "The Invisible Enemy".   Who am I? My name is Pramesh Ratnakar. I am 64 years old. Many people call me a maverick for my iconoclastic…
  • The author Dr Prathima holding her book in her hand. She is wearing a bit jacket and is seated on a sofa
    Exercises and Boxing Have Helped Me Cope With Parkinsons
    Dr Prathima, 41 is a General Physician, and was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease (YOPD) in her late thirties. She shares her struggles and fears, as well as her strategies for coping with the challenges and pent up tensions. Please tell us a bit about your condition I am 41 years old and was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease (YOPD) approximately 4 years ago. Initially the symptoms were very subtle and being a doctor myself, I managed to get a  timely diagnosis.…
  • Moving To Online Platforms And Therapy For Parkinsons Has Been A Boon
    Shaila Bhagwat from Pune has been living with Parkinson’s for some years now. But the lockdowns and social distancing in recent times have made her opt for online therapy sessions as well as look forward to interactions on virtual platforms. She shares how she benefitted from both. When did the online therapy sessions start for you? I am a member of the B. K. Parikh Support Group which is part of the PDMDS (Parkinson Disease & Movement Disorder Society), Mumbai, and is also a part of PDMDS…
  • युवा अवस्था वाले पार्किंसंस रोग से निपटने की चुनौती से हार नहीं मानी: एक युवती की आप-बीती
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  • Inspired by Hurdle Racers To Deal With Young Onset Parkinsons Disease
    Five years back when she was diagnosed with an early onset of Parkinson’s Disease, much to her disbelief, Sunandita, 45, had everything going for her. Since then, it has been an uphill task living with a condition that has cramped her lifestyle in more ways than one. Please tell us a little bit about yourself, your background. I am from a middle-class Indian Bengali family, born and brought up in the suburbs of Kolkata. My father was a Central government employee and mother, a schoolteacher-…
  • How To Handle Negative Emotions as a Caregiver
    Samiksha Sivan, integrates her experience at PDMDS to talk about some of the negative emotions felt by caregivers of persons with Parkinsons and the how they can cope with the negative emotions like anger, resentment, guilt and anxiety. Dealing with a chronic, progressive condition like Parkinson’s disease (PD) can take a significant toll on a person, be it a caregiver or a patient. Being able to cope with everyday tasks at home and work as well as the stresses of caregiving for a Person with…
  • Parkinsons and Talent
    Creative Ways of Expression for Persons with Parkinsons
    Tejali Kunte, Head of Psychology, PDMDS (Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorder Society), talks about their unique initiative ‘PDMDS Encourages Talent’ which provided a platform for Persons with Parkinson’s to showcase their talents and also boost their confidence in a big way. What was the main vision behind the initiative? Was it just motivational? -Creative arts like dance, music, poetry, art and craft have tremendous therapeutic effects on the symptoms of Parkinson’s. At PDMDS, we…
  • घर में बुजुर्गों के गिरने से बचाव के लिए बदलाव करें
    बुजुर्गों में चोट लगने का प्रमुख कारण शायद उनका गिरना है। गिरने की वजह से चिकित्सा के और रीहैब (पुनर्वास) के खर्च भी बहुत ऊंचे होते हैं। इस लेख में  पोरसेलवी ए.पी., एक संज्ञानात्मक और मनोसामाजिक हस्तक्षेप विशेषज्ञ, साझा करती हैं कि घर में बुजुर्गों के गिरने से बचाव (फॉल प्रिवेंशन) के लिए कैसे बदलाव संभव हैं - जैसे कि हैण्ड-रेल लगवाना, एंटीस्किड (फिसलन विरोधी) मैट का इस्तेमाल, घर में अत्याधिक और अव्यवस्थित सामान को हटा कर घर व्यवस्थित करना, संतुलित रखने वाले मजबूत जूते पहनना, इत्यादि।…
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    Dr Wadia helps patients with Neurological Conditions and their primary family caregivers navigate this Covid-19 lockdown period with expert advice on managing emergencies and complications. Click on the video link below to view the webinar recording.  Let’s discuss the major challenges patients may face during this COVID pandemic: Identification and management of neurological emergencies, so you know when to avoid unnecessary trips to the hospital. Emergency scenarios will include Stroke…