HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

New to forum-parkinsonism

Support Forums
>
Parkinson's Disease
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 5/19/2014 8:49 PM (GMT 0)
Hello:

I am 58yo. My neurologist told me I have parkinsonism(about a month ago). He came to that conclusion because I was walking slow, not moving my right hand and not much of a facial expression.

Is this the same as Parkinson's or are these two different things?
He put me on carvidopa/levodopa 3 times a day. Is the medication going to help me right away or it takes sometime?

I have been taking the medication for a month now, no side effects(the one's I see all over).

Thanks for your help.

Posted 5/23/2014 11:35 PM (GMT 0)
ElTorito,
Has sinemet,carbo/levo helped to control your symptoms?If it does chances are you have parkinson's.
a month should be plenty of time for you to tell.Wish you the best.Ed
Posted 5/28/2014 6:00 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for your response. Based on your experience, how long will this medicine keep me away from any visible symptons(i.e.tremors)? Meaning, can you go for months or years doing fine taking this medicine 25/100 carbodopa/levodopa or any higher dosis? Thanks

Post Edited (ElTorito) : 5/28/2014 12:05:40 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 5/30/2014 12:46 AM (GMT 0)

ElTorito,

Welcome to HealingWell!

Here is a link to a Parkinson's Disease Foundation (PDF) site with an explanation about the various types of Parkinson's:   http://www.pdf.org/en/parkinsonism_parkinson_syndrome?clid=COWC9Zyz0r4CFagWMgod3U0AZA

 

You asked whether the medication would: 1) take effect right away and 2) remain effective for a long time - months or years. I have never taken carbidopa/levodopa (AKA Sinemet). With some medications you titrate up/down (gradually increase or decrease). I don't know if that's true for the medication you are taking. I do know that it can be effective for years. There also are some undesirable side effects, so you might read up on it to make an educated decision. There are other medications available, but carbidopa/levodopa is often the most effective. It can be a trade-off. Most important is that you do the research and make an educated decision based on your situation.

 

lizzy4451

Posted 5/30/2014 3:02 AM (GMT 0)

ElTorita,

Me again. You also asked how long you can hide your symptoms ... tremor, in particular.

 

My primary symptom is tremor. I was diagnosed in 2001, with symptoms 2-3 years before.  I have been VERY fortunate to have had a slow progession. I still work full-time and do everything I ever did ... with a bit of a shake or slight slowness now. I decided to tell folks at work about 3 years after my diagnosis. I thought everyone had noticed my hand in a pocket, or hand resting on a desk or wall. I thought one guy had been staring at my (tremoring) hand. Nope. No one had noticed. It was news to everyone. I will say that telling folks about my PD at work did reduce my stress level. I have not made a point since then to tell folks about my PD. I don't intentionally hide it, but most folks don't notice. In fact, just this past week I told someone I had been working with that I had PD - they had no clue.

 

How long can you hide your symptoms? I would say it depends on: 1) the severity of your symptoms, 2) the effectiveness of the medication(s) you take, and 3) your tolerance of the symptoms (are you willing to show some symptoms or not). For example, Michael J Fox made the conscious decision to ramp up on meds because he didn't want to display any symptoms in the beginning. Ramping up on the meds also brought out some side effects (dyskinesia) as well. Some folks are willing to tolerate PD symptoms in order take a lower level of medication(s). It's an individual decision. Talk with your doc - hopefully a neurologist, or better yet a Movement Disorder Specialist (MDS). Again, whatever you do ... it's your body ... be involved in your treatment and make an educated decision about your treatment.

 

Best of luck!

lizzy4451

Posted 5/30/2014 9:01 AM (GMT 0)
ElTorito,I have been taking sinemet for at least13 years most of the time as stalevo.It allows me to be active,and relatively symptom free most of the day.Bear in mind that each individual is different,and will react differently to any given drug.I also experience off time when the drug doen't help.Who knows why???????????????

It is a mystery to me,I started experiencing symptoms at age 56 I'm now 70,and now that i look back i probably had the disease when iwas 50.Now I deal also with allthe other things that go along with aging like arthritis, diabetes,etc etc,Wish you the best.Ed
Posted 6/5/2014 8:36 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks to all for your responses. I must be at a very early phase or slow progression. Don't have any symptoms now. Been on carvidopa for about 5 weeks. Before that were also very minimal.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply