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Teeth Grinding or something else?

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Posted 5/2/2012 8:49 PM (GMT 0)
Does anyone experience teeth grinding or clicking noises from the back of the teeth through out the day? My mo has been doing this after a trip to the dentist to get a so-so teeth cleaning. My sister had to pry her mouth open for this and I wonder if this locked up my mom's jaw. I thought it was her meds causing this but I have decreased it slightly but she is still grinding. I don't know how much longer I can stand the noise. The only way to stop it is to give her something to crunch on and it works but only for a few hours and then she starts up again.

Does something else trigger this? Drinking acidic juices like OJ? I'm grasping at straws here.
Posted 6/23/2012 8:02 PM (GMT 0)
:-)  My teeth grind when my Stalevo med is too strong.  I don't take another dose of Stalevo until that dose wears off, and that could take 2-4 hrs.  I even get dyskenesia when my Stalevo is too strong.  That is big overt movements of my arms and body.  But it can be just with your teet grinding aa well.
Posted 6/23/2012 8:52 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks. That's what I thought too and I decreased my mom's Stalevo from 150mg to 125mg in the afternoon when she grinds the most. It helped some but she also lost a lot of her strength so that was more important. I even removed her evening dose of 150mg Stalevo to 1.5 tablet of 25/100 Sinemet as a replacement and she still grinds. I don't want to replace the Sinemet altogether but Stalevo is a stonger drug for my mom and I figure since all she's doing at night is sleep then taking Sinemet is fine.

This never happened before until 2 months ago. Up until there she was fine. I just don't get it.
Posted 6/27/2012 7:10 AM (GMT 0)
:-)  I also take Synemet CR 50/200 at about 9 a.m. and again at around 8 P.M.  I should be taking it at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., but I have to be careful not to get my stalevo 100 mg. dosages closer than 2 hours before or after the Synemet doses, as that grinding of my teeth and dyskenesia I will avoid if at all possible.  Taking the Synemet on a CR (controlled release) gives me a light 24 hour coverage.  It's working for now.  I also take Amantadine 100mg  at 9 a.m. as this helps tone down my dyskenesia and I'm much stronger as well. Ask her doctor.
Posted 6/27/2012 1:05 PM (GMT 0)
I read botox would help with the grinding but I am skeptical. The teeth grinding is an indication that she's overmedicated so why try and stop the grinding if what it means is that she's on too much meds. I should decrease or better yet replace the medication. I have a feeling the entacapone in Stalevo is the cause. Since decreasing it didn't stop the grinding because every dose of Stalevo contains 200mg Entacapone. This is why I will replace the Stalevo with Sinemet this afternoon and see how it goes.

My mom won't swallow medication whole. Her dementia prevents her from logic. Crushing Stalevo was a big gamble but it worked for a while. I don't want to do the same for Sinemet CR since it's not meant to be crushed. She will get too much too soon. It's always one challenge after another.
Posted 7/2/2012 11:06 AM (GMT 0)
Does Synemet ever make your Mom nauseous or throw-up?  Synemet alone makes me that way.

Also, Istopped taking my Amantadine this past weekend as My dermatologist said if it didn't itch.   Thein my next Neurologist increased the dosage and I broke-out in a bright red rash.   Now 4 years later the same Neuro wanted me to try  again, I broke out again gradually until I couldn't stand it anymore.  I was sent to a dermatologist who wasn't sure it was the Amantadine as my back had not broke out.  I looked at hosw lomg I've been back on it and it's been 2 monthys!  It made me stronger, but my skin is a mess and itchy.  Maybe I'll try the neuro-patch when it is back on July 17th.  It is a continual trial and error with doctos and my P.D. meds. shakehead

Posted 7/2/2012 1:23 PM (GMT 0)
My mom broke out on her neck and chest when she first took Parcopa but it went away within days. The Parcopa gave her bad breath and her hair was falling out so I stopped it. My mom has a very strong stomach and never had a problem taking any drugs. Well... she threw up once when her old neuro gave her vicodin for some joint pain but other than that nope.

Well my experiment is over. My mom is grinding more with Sinemet so she's back on Stalevo today. Gotta try to take the "what if we..." out of my options.

Is your doctor nuts? Does he think breaking out is ok? That is your body rejecting the meds. Try something else. My mom tried the patch before but she had terrible night sweat from it.
Posted 7/2/2012 10:26 PM (GMT 0)
I think my doctor doesn't know what he's doing.  Today I called him and told him I have severe dyskenesia from my Synemet CR and my Stalevo meds.  He suggested I take an extra dose of Synemet CR within the hour.  My meds dosing time at the time of his call was: 

06:00     AM - Stalevo 100 mg

11:00     AM - Synemet CR 50/200 mg  (Tremors start - so I take my CR Synemet)

12:30     PM - Stalevo 100 mg

                     Tylenol for my chills from rash from Amantadine which I discontinued on Saturday

12:45     PM    Dyskenesia started

01:30     PM    My doctor wants me to take another dose of Synmt CR  (not on my life!)

It is 5:20 PM and I still have no relief from my dyskenesia!  I made an appointment for a 22nd opinion with another neurogist for Aug 1st. unless they can get me in sooner if someone cancels.

Posted 7/2/2012 11:18 PM (GMT 0)
Why are you taking Stalevo and Sinemet CR?  I ask this because my mom takes Stalevo and regular Sinemet but not CR.  Stalevo is long lasting and if you take Sinemet CR then it lasts even longer and your chances of getting dyskenesia is quite good.  My mom takes Sinemet before bed because it's not as strong and it doesn't last very long which is what she should be doing since she's only sleeping.  She takes Mirapex with each dose as a complimenet drug.

What is your reason for taking both? Couldn't you take 200mg Stalevo and skip the Sinemet CR? Or maybe 100mg Stalevo every 4 hours unless you are concerned about the extra entacapone you get with each dose.

Your doctor obviously is not listening to you and thinks you are undermedicated.  My mom went cold turkey without Mirapex one time  and suffered greatly with chills and shakes that lasted hours. An extra Stalevo did not work. She had to take Mirapex again which relieved her within 30 minutes.

It sounds to me like you take too much too close together.  Why did you take a Stalevo at 12:30 when you just took a Sinemet CR 90 minutes prior?  That's a large dose of Sinemet by the way to take and not wait at least 5 hours until the next drug. Now it sounds like you are getting all the bad affects from too much of a good thing.  Doesn't your doctor see it that way?  

Posted 7/3/2012 12:29 PM (GMT 0)

Hi

Im new to the forum and new to anything to do with Parkinsons. My mum was diagnosed with it just before Christmas and given Madopar tablets to take. They gradually increased the dose as her tremor hasnt improved but in the past few months she's been grinding her teeth so bad they are wearing away.  She also gets raging hot flushes.  The specialist said he didnt know what the teeth grinding was about but Im sure its either the tablets or the Parkinsons (if she actually has it as he couldnt confirm that either).  He said to lower her dose to 62.5mg and see what happens.  Can anyone please offer any advice? 

Posted 7/3/2012 1:18 PM (GMT 0)
I totally think it's too much meds and not a symptom of PD. I think we are suppose to find the right balance of enough to function but not too much where you will grind your teeth. My mom has not taken madopar before but she is grinding with Stalevo and Sinemet and had done so with Parcopa before too. I think it should be quite common but yet doctors always act like they have never heard of such a thing. Sorry but I'm not a big fan of physicians these days. They are human beings just like us and do not have special powers to heal. They went to school for a long time studying the past. Once they become doctors they are not so up to date with current info so it's up to us the patients and caretakers to research and question.

Welcome to the forum. Please be a good daughter and do not rely only with your doctor's advice. If something doesn't seem right to you then check it out. We only have one mother. This matters more to you than to her doctor. Remember that and good luck!
Posted 7/5/2012 9:07 AM (GMT 0)

Thanks Bella33.  I dont have much faith in the NHS either and spent yesterday on the phone to so many people trying to get someone to help me.  Mum has a really bad leg which they say is sciatica, shes grinding her teeth terrible and they all say they dont dont what it is and she keeps getting really hot flushes.  The PN says not to alter her meds and she'll see her next week, I dont know what to do.

Posted 7/5/2012 1:16 PM (GMT 0)
What works for a short period of time for my mom while she grinds her teeth is to give her something crunchy to eat. For some reason it goes away for a bit like it took the pressure off or something. Try it and see. I use almonds but you can try anything that gives long lasting chewing but not gum or soft candy. It has to be hard and crunchy. I read online that botox is injected for people with grinding problems but I can't find a doctor near me that does it. I also don't think my mom would sit still for the multiple injections needed.

Is your mom menopausal? The hot flashes could be from that and not from the drugs. I have Sciatica from lifting my mom all day long. For your mom it could also not be PD related. The human body can have so many things go wrong that it's pathetic I know.

Maybe you can call her doctor again and tell her it's getting worse and see if she will listen to you now and get her in quicker. I don't think she would want a malpractice suit if she prescribed wrongly and ignored you.
Posted 7/6/2012 9:18 PM (GMT 0)
That's just what my doctor suggested to control my tremors and the one dose per day wasto help me n ot wake up with tremors during night. But from the get go, this doctor over doses me. I am having dyskenesia still this week and also having trouble getting my breath. We have air-conditioning, but 103 to 105 and humidity is high. I called another doc - movement specialist, but can't get in until late August. How can I get another doctor to see me sooner??
Posted 7/6/2012 11:34 PM (GMT 0)
Maybe you are like my mother and need to take an agonist in addition to levo/carbo. Like I said earlier when my mom only took a Stalevo it did not stop her tremors until she added Mirapex. All these extra levo/carbo you are taking is causing dyskinesia but not stopping your tremors right?

Some doctors think dyskinesia can be from being undermedicated as well. It's your body. What do you think?

Ask your doctor to call you the minute there is a cancellation.
Posted 7/11/2012 12:43 AM (GMT 0)
Bella, you are probly right about being overmedicated.  I spent Friday night for 24 hrs in the hospital cause of severe dyskenesia and difficulty catching my breath!!!  When my neuro doc showed up Sat a.m. I told I was over medicated.  So then he said just to take my Stalevo 4 x daily.  By Monday p.m. I had severe dyskenesia most of the day .  I called his office and said something had to be done, NOW1  He had his staff call and order me requip 2x daily (.25 mg).  This has helped me some, but at this moment still fighting some dyskenesia. 

I have made an apptmt with a Movement specialist neuro but can't get in until Aug 27th!!

Posted 7/11/2012 3:52 AM (GMT 0)
I'm so sorry you had to go through that. It is so frustrating when doctors act so stupid. It might take a while for the requip to work at a level that you will notice. He is starting you out slowly so until you get to a dose that you need then hang in there. Hmmm... looks like he was thinking like me that you needed an agonist in addition to the Stalevo and not rely completely on that alone.

I hate to say this but don't put too much hope into a movement specialist. He or she may not know that much more than your doctor in terms of what to take. There are only so many medications out there for PD. It's all trial and error for the patients and caretakers. Just listen to your body and work with your current doctor until next month. I'm happy that you were assertive enough to force your doctor to listen to you.

I hope you feel better soon.
Posted 7/11/2012 5:47 PM (GMT 0)
I'm so confused with doctors.  I have a friend that has P.D. for 28 years.  She has had trouble all summer with her meds.  I asked her if they just keep juggling the same meds around to see what works, she said thats the deal it seems. 

Ihave gotten some relief from the dyskenesia...some.  I woke up during night with tremors and sat up on my couch for about 4 hrs.  Then after my meds. including requip this a.m. I zonked out for a few hours.  Well wish me luck whatever I chose to do with what doc to stay with.

Posted 9/30/2012 10:31 PM (GMT 0)
My mom's doctor prescribed Artane to be taken before bedtime for the teeth grinding. I forgot to double check if it's ok to take that along with her Stalevo and Mirapex that she takes 3 times a day. I read Artane is another PD med so that's 3 at the same time that she will be taken once a day. Had anyone tried this? Does it work?
Posted 11/24/2012 2:11 PM (GMT 0)
My mom's grinding is non stop. Her doctor said to decrease Stalevo from 150 to 125 and that's been for a week now. For the first 4 days the grinding stopped and she was doing good then slowly it started to creep back in again. He also prescribed Amantadine but I'm scared to give that to her because I'm afraid of the side effects that she may get and no guarantee that it will work anyways.

I know she's getting Stalevo in her too soon all at once because I have to crush it for her in order for her to take it. I gave her Sinemet instead of it before and she had no strength all day. I am so lost.

Last night she bit her lip pretty hard and was bleeding and scared the crap out of me but she didn't seem to be in pain so I'm glad about that. I don't know if it's from grinding or the decrease of Stalevo which is causing her to tighten up and bite down.

Any experiences from anyone is sincerely appreciated.
Posted 1/17/2013 2:44 PM (GMT 0)
Grinding stopped from 125mg Stalevo after a month. Actually she's under medicated now so I increased by 25mg at night only. So far better. She's not choking on liquids like before and has a little more balance and strength to walk. She broke 2 teeth as a result of the 6 months grinding. Now on to teeth drama.
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