my neuro is going to arrange for me to go on the amomorphine pump,has anyone found this effective.

[alanrob]

[shasha]

i went on it when it wa suspected that i had psp and not pd - it was then proved that i did have psp

[ldq1997 in reply to shasha]

What is psp?

[shasha in reply to ldq1997]

progressive supranuclear palsy - google it

[isis6361 in reply to ldq1997]

There are various types of psp and some respond to medications and others don't apomorphine is usually successful for a short time

[Piglegs2009]

Hi, I am a full time career for my mother with pd. she has had it for over 12 years and gradually medications stopped being effective and dosage was increased to a level that the side effects were making her worse than the benefits of the medication. We found out about the apomorphine (silly name as it contains no morphine) and confronted her pd specialist. This was December last year at which point she was completely bed ridden and I was convinced she didn't have long left. She had the pump fitted early jan (something I have had to do for her every day since) and within a week she was out shopping and doing things she had not been able to do in we'll over a year. This has worked well on her for a good 6 months but she has now started to slowly decline again with good days and bad. As she was such a severe case it was great to have her back well for the time we have but have been told that the only course now is brain surgery which he flatly refuses. I'm sure if we had been told of the apo at an earlier stage things would have been different. You will get small lumps under your skin but these don't stay for to long. Hoping everything goes well for you. Xx

[alanrob]

thanks for that,it certainly gives me some optimism.x

[isis6361]

Apomorphine is a well established medication used widely in the uk either as pen jets or continuous infusion pump. At my centre I have about sixty patients on it from young onset to a man of eighty two. There can be issues with low blood pressure and nausea but both are treatable with domperidone oral tablets. It's great for fluctuations dyskinesia and off periods

[alanrob in reply to isis6361]

thank you for the information isis.

[ldq1997]

According to Google, the amomorphine pump is used as a remedy for dyskinesia. Dyskinesia is a difficulty or distortion in performing voluntary movements, which often occurs as a side effect of long-term therapy with levodopa. If it is a result of long term use of levodopa, then why in the world would anyone want to subject a patient to the continuous, non-stop administration of levodopa with an amomorphine pump? This sounds like a real "hair of the dog that bit you" remedy. I have observed previously how often our medical experts seek to cure the toxic effects of levodopa with even more levodopa, so I guess the amomorphine pump is just a new, more expensive applicaton of the same old remedy which means more money for the medical industry.

[Hikoi]

Alanrob, Dyskinesia is just one reason. Its use is far more than dyskinesia and apomorp is not levadopa but an agonist drug. those I know who use it have had great results but not always overnight, it can take a while to get it just right. Good luck. You may like to check out utube Barbara Thompson Jazz saxophinist and the movie "playing against time" about her life with PD and her struggle to get approval for apomorph.

[alanrob in reply to Hikoi]

thanks hikoi,will check it out.