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A medical team for Parkinson's disease typically includes:

  • A neurologist or movement disorders specialist to assess disease progression and prescribe medications

  • A family doctor who is knowledgeable about Parkinson's

  • A Parkinson's nurse specialist who can provide information on how to manage the condition

  • A psychiatrist or psychologist who can help with mental and emotional health issues

  • A physiotherapist who can assess mobility, balance, and posture

  • An occupational therapist who can assess the living and working environment

  • A speech language pathologist who can help with voice projection or swallowing difficulties

  • A dietician who can advise on how to plan a healthy diet

  • A social worker who can advise on financial and family concerns

Parkinson's disease has both motor and non-motor symptoms:

  • Motor symptoms

    These include:

    • Bradykinesia, or slow movement

    • Resting tremor

    • Rigidity

    • Walking or gait difficulty

    • Dystonia

    • Speech problems

    • Swallowing issues

  • Non-motor symptoms

    These include:

    • Depression and other mood problems

    • Cognitive issues

    • Constipation and other gastrointestinal problems

    • Fatigue

    • Freezing

    • Hallucinations and delusions

    • Incontinence

    • Low blood pressure problems

    • Sleep problems

    • Other issues such as pain, sexual dysfunction, and vision changes

Non-motor symptoms can appear years or decades before motor symptoms, and can be vague. Early detection of non-motor symptoms can help with diagnosis and improve prognosis.

What medications are used to treat Parkinson's symptoms?

Medications to treat Parkinson'shttps://www.parkinson.ca/wp-content/uploads/Medications-to-Treat-Parkinsons-Disease.pdf

Drug Therapies

  • Dopaminergic drugs (including levodopa) – a class of drugs with dopamine-like action used to treat symptoms of Parkinson's disease

  • Decarboxylase inhibitor – a drug that is used with levodopa to treat the symptoms of Parkinson's disease

  • Dopamine agonists – a class of drugs that binds to dopamine receptors and imitates the action of dopamine

  • Anticholinergics – a class of drugs that relaxes smooth muscle and is used primarily to treat tremor in Parkinson's disease

  • MAO-B inhibitors – a class of drugs used to treat all symptoms of Parkinson's disease. These drugs block an enzyme that breaks down dopamine, allowing it to be at the receptor longer

  • COMT inhibitors – a class of drugs that binds to dopamine receptors and imitates the action of dopamine

Although medications for Parkinson's disease can be used to improve motor function, they may lose their effectiveness over time, cause side effects, or both. Additionally, as the condition progresses, the medication levels required for motor function control may cause intolerable or undesirable side effects.Write your text here...

Medications - What you need to knowhttps://www.parkinson.ca/wp-content/uploads/Parkinsons-Medications-what-you-need-to-know.pdf

Women with Parkinson's disease (PD) may experience unique challenges, including:

  • Diagnosis

    Women tend to be diagnosed younger and may be of childbearing age. Menopause can also complicate diagnosis and treatment.

  • Symptoms

    Women may report different symptoms than men, including more mood and sleep disturbances, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and pain. They may also experience more non-motor symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, and fatigue.

  • Medication

    Women may experience more medication-related dyskinesias (involuntary, erratic movements), motor fluctuations, and “wearing off” of medication.

  • Treatment

    Women are less likely to receive advanced treatments like Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS).

  • Care

    Women are less likely to be cared for by a PD specialist, neurologist, or movement disorder specialist. They also access medical care for their Parkinson's less than men.

https://www.pmdalliance.org/?s=women PMD Alliance

Women and Parkinson's https://www.parkinson.ca/women/highlight=women

https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/

What is ClinicalTrials.gov and who uses it?

ClinicalTrials.gov is a website and online database of clinical research studies and information about their results. The purpose of ClinicalTrials.gov is to provide information about clinical research studies to the public, researchers, and health care professionals. The U.S. government does not review or approve the safety and science of all studies listed on this website.

https://www.parkinson.ca/getinvolved/participate-in-research-studies/

Participate in Research Studies

Many research studies into Parkinson's disease need human volunteers to answer specific health questions. Your participation in these research studies allows you to access new treatments for Parkinson's disease before they are widely available and contributes to medical research.

Get access to new treatments for Parkinson's disease before they are widely available and help others by contributing to medical research

https://www.michaeljfox.org/join-study

You have the power to propel research toward Parkinson’s breakthroughs and, ultimately, a cure. No amount of funding or other resources can make up for a lack of volunteers in Parkinson’s research.