It can also help you understand when to call the doctor because things just don’t seem right.  Before you read this, I need to say that I am not a medical professional and none of this is meant to be advice on medications your Person with Parkinson’s should or should not take. My husband has been taking Carbidopa-Levodopa for over a decade now. He uses a nasal spray for chronic rhinitis (runny nose), but no other prescription medications. He takes vitamins b, d, and an iron supplement as recommended by his medical team. It is important for me to know all of this because I can watch for contraindications between the meds he takes, at this time there are none.

Carbi-dopa is designed to increase dopamine levels in his brain and is a standard for most people with Parkinson’s Disease. Other types of medications are often prescribed for PD based on symptomology and the direction the illness is taking. For someone with motor issues, like my husband, dopamine agonists can be used either in place of the carbi-dopa or alongside it. These meds are designed to mimic what dopamine does. Other types of medications that might be used are COMT Inhibitors or Selective MAO-B Inhibitors designed to block enzymes that interfere with normal dopamine levels in the brain and compounds that impact the neurotransmitters in the brain to stimulate or block dopamine. There is another list of medications that cover non-motor symptoms of PD, thankfully we have not needed those yet. All of these drugs, including the basic carbi-dopa, come with side effects that can be as bad or worse than the illness itself and it is essential that I am aware of what could go wrong.

My husband’s neurologist has suggested that he try some of the other medications in addition to his basic regime to extend the benefits of the carbi-dopa. We talked with others in our support group about their experiences and found that there was no real consensus. Some were using dopamine agonists with success; others swore by the inhibitors they were prescribed. When he agreed to try an agonist, we found that he was acting out in his sleep, his brain was foggier, and he was drowsy all the time. The alternative treatment he finally settled on was Deep Brain Stimulation with the outcome that he could take less medication rather than more.

It is a challenge to know what is best for my husband. It is also important to remember that his responses to any of the meds are simply his responses and do not indicate that it would or would not be good for someone else. Just as this disease affects everyone differently, the treatments have different outcomes for each individual. I wish there were a pill that could take it all away, until that day comes I will continue to do my research and consult with our medical team to make sure that his treatment is safe and working for him.

The topic of medication is complicated and should always be a decision you make with the advice of your Person with Parkinson’s medical team. For more information on the different types of medications available please visit Approved Medications | American Parkinson Disease Assoc. (apdaparkinson.org) found on the American Parkinson’s Disease website.