Parkinson’s Medication Dosage

First of all I am very grateful to read your wonderful work on the www.parkinsonsrecovery.com website. We feel there is hope & encouragement.

I have been diagnosed with PD 2&1/2 years ago & I followed the symptomatic Rx with sinemet to be able to continue working for 2 years but 6 months ago I had quit my job for obvious PD symptoms despite the conventional drugs.

Now my reflection is that if I were financially independent & had the possibility to choose, I would not have started the medications & promptly would have taken the holistic approach, at least as long as possible. The neurologists prescribe the medicines which do mask the symptoms in the beginning. This is not a criticism but this is what they are taught to do thinking there are no other alternatives to help. There are many alternatives
out there to heal.

The drugs are ADDICTIVE with side effects & we don’t feel completely fine on medication. Now while on Meds, I am following a program : diet, meditations (5 steps to recovery + books by Dr Coleman, Road to Recovery, Natural Therapies for PD Dr L. Mischley), exercises, Bowen, cranio-sacral, Tai chi etc. Of course the road to recovery is not a quick FIX. It needs perseverance, discipline & patience. Everything is possible.

I would be very happy to reduce my meds. In this path we are on our own with no help from the neurologist. I tried a couple of times gradually with uncomfortable reactions from my body. I will try again when ready.

My questions:

1st question:

I know you are not a physician but we want to hear from patients with the same experience Or have you interviewed patients who have reduced their meds successfully to recovery.We want to learn from these experiences.

Response:

I post e mails from people here on the Parkinsons Recovery Blog who report success with reducing medications. Check in with the blog periodically to get their stories. I also document cases in Pioneers of Recovery. Many of  my guests on the radio show have also been successful in reducing their medications.

You encourage me to compile every one’s story into a book. You would see that people use different approaches to reduce their medications. As you point out, there are many excellent alternatives which can be considered. Some will succeed for you and others will not.

2nd question:

While working on the road to recovery we would be grateful TO RELIEVE the symptoms.

I am always on the look out for new suggestions in your radio program.What do you think about LOW DOSE NALTREXONE which is a drug approved & used for addiction? Sinemet is ADDICTIVE.This would be a useful adjunct for PD patients to reduce & even stop their meds. I know again you are not a physician but you worked in research as PHD you may have an opinion.

Thank you for your dedication & I wish you all the blessings & success in your mission.

Abi

Response:

As you correctly point out, I am certainly not qualified to say one way or another whether this particular drug therapy would be a good choice for you. I would proceed just as you are – ask around – get some opinions – then   use your own intution to decide whether taking this drug would be a smart decision for you or not.

Drugs have literally saved people’s lives, so we must all be thankful that they exist. The downside to taking any prescription drug is that there are always side effects. That is why the FDA is involved.

You may well achieve your goal (which in your case is to reduce the medications you are currently taking) but other unwanted side effects may emerge (or not). You never know since every one’s reactions to drugs differs.

As with any drug the list of possible side effects for the drug you are considering is extensive. Possibilities that have been reported for the drug you are considering include disturbed sleep, unsettling dreams, fatigue, spasms, pain, headache, diarrhea and an increase of liver enzymes. If you decide to pursue this as a therapy you may experience none of these possible side effects. Or, you may experience several of them.

At Jump Start to Wellness, we teach a valuable skill that you can always use to make decisions like this one. You can always evaluate whether any therapy is a good idea or not for you through muscle testing and checking in with your own intuitive sense of what is the right decision to make.

You actually know the answer to your own question. When you sort out how the option feels, you will know the right decision to make.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery
1-877-526-4646

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