Parkinson's Disease

My experience with Parkinson's is with my dad who died from its complications 20 years ago. I know there are seven distinct stages, and the smallest thing like choking on a water can send the disease out of control. There have been great advances in Parkinson's research over the last 20 years. If you think your mother may be over or under medicated, have another doctor examine her. It's a terrible disease, and it's very difficult for loved ones to watch. My prayers are with you.

Sherlene--my mom had Parkinson's for 20 years. I can only give you my experience, which is, when she was living in another state, she was given a dual diagnosis of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's--pretty scary stuff. After my dad passed away and we moved her to be closer to us, she went back to her original neurologist, (who had treated her early on, before she moved.) He discovered that her medications and their interactions were what were causing the symptoms of Alzheimer's and that she didn't have it at all. If you are not satisfied after your discussions with the neurology team, press on until you are completely confident that you have found the most capable person you can find. One week is a very short amount of time to see such drastic changes. Please keep us posted and don't feel helpless--you have a lot of people in your corner!

I'm sorry to read that your mother is going through such a tough time.

Having gone through a similar issue with my mother in law, I would also be concerned that your mother may be being overmedicated, which is a common problem in elderly adults.

One of the issues with medications and the elderly -- is that as we age, our bodies don't metabolize medications as well and some types of medications can build up in our systems becoming toxic.

Ask what medications are being given to her and what amounts daily. Write them down. Then go online and research the side effects of each of the medications. See if the side effects of the medications match your mother's symptoms.

There are drugs that cause symptoms that mimic the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. And one of the side effects of this drug is hallucinations. The video "Bad Drugs" tells about this drug.

If you feel that your mother is being overmedicated, talk to her doctor about it. Maybe the dose can be adjusted down or maybe a different drug can be prescribed that doesn't cause so many side effects.

It might help you to get more information about drug toxicity in the elderly. You can go on www.mmlearn.org and view the videos having to do with elderly and medications.

One video (part of the "ASK THE GERIATRICIAN series of videos) about drug toxicity and the elderly is by Dr. Raji, called, "Bad Drugs". Dr. Raji is a geriatrician who explains the problems with drug toxicity with the elderly. He outlines specific drugs that can cause drug induced dementia and other adverse events. This video might be very helpful to you.

Just go to www.mmlearn.org and click on the topic of HEALTH. Then click on "BAD DRUGS".

(If you are asked to sign in with your email and zip code, it's OK, no one will ever contact you nor will they spam you with emails. )

If you need them, there are many other videos available concerning the care of the elderly.

The video will also give you information about the "The Beers Criteria" compiled by Dr. Mark Beers. This is a list of drugs that may be potentially inappropriate for use in older adults. Here's a link to the Beer's List:

http://www.americangeriatrics.org/files/documents/beers/PrintableBeersPocketCard.pdf

http://www.americangeriatrics.org/files/documents/beers/2012BeersCriteria_JAGS.pdf

sherlene-

i urge you to read through this and go to the article in this post below.
it is from the national parkinson foundation.

it is a serious and common problem for patients, and apparently unknown by many doctors/hospitals, which is just unacceptable.

** for many parkinson patients, the exact dosing schedule is as important as the type and amount of meds- because it is a medical article from a credible source, your doctors should give it credence. as shown in the article, just an improper dosing schedule, in a previously controlled patient, can be tragic.

maybe it would help to copy the article, and use it to go over, with the doctors:

all the specific meds your mom has been getting every single day, and the exact dosing schedule she has been on- now and before, when she was in the facility.

they need to get a handle on her meds asap.

the article is brief, yet very informative and for some may be a lifesaver. and besides showing a sad situation, it also offers real world solutions- which is why it appealed to me.

basically, it says that the crucial, frequent dosing schedule that a Parkinson patient may be on at home, is usually not followed at all in a hospital type setting, as it conflicts totally with their schedules- and most involved don't realize until it's too late that the patient can have serious effects, some over time, but some very rapidly. [ and many folks themselves just don't realize that keeping a strict meds schedule can be vital]

it seems very possible that your mom had this type of issue, and it spiraled out of hand. in her facility they may not have been dosing her at optimum or consistant intervals. a specialist needs to fully evaluate what she needs, and also what meds she should not be taking.

** there is also further info about basic drugs that are often given routinely in a hospital type setting and the negative effects on parkinson patients, that are also not considered or realized. the same is true for a rehab setting, which unfortunately can be even more lax in many ways.

[after reading article, folks can click on the 'aware in care' on that page, and it will take you to the kit info. it can be simple to put together, and in the event of a hospital/rehab trip , you can then drop in the meds, and know that you could be preventing a major setback for a patient, who has been stable on their usual meds schedule.]

one more point- about dehydration:

extremely common for elders not to be taking in enough good fluids every single day. that should be properly monitored in facilities, and often isn't. it is extra important to patients on meds, as absorption and side effects are greatly impacted by basic dehydration. plus all sorts of problems that can turn serious, inc urinary tract infections and dementia type behavior, are common. many of us have seen that way too often, and yet it seems the medical profession 'forgets' about this basic, preventable issue and doesn't give it enough attention.

hoping you can get a good resolution soon.

** article, copy/paste in bar:

http://www.parkinson.org/About-Us/Press-Room/NPF-In-The-News/2013/April/Hospital-Dangers-for-Patient...