I was diagnosed with PD about two years ago by neurologist. My main symptom is right hand tremors. Levedopa and amantidine didn't work for my tremors. My neurologist referred me to MDS . I am waiting for MDS appointment for over a year now. As I read through many online posts exercise is a key for PD. I have been doing a lot of running and yoga. I feel good when I do exercise. Not sure if it is slowing down the progression but I feel good overall and have good sleep.My tremors are progressing and propananol which was helping before is helping less and less. So I went back to neurologist for any other medications which can help. He gave me trihexyphenidyl hcl. Never heard of it before. Is it good for tremors?
I asked neurologist about exercise, and he said exercise is useless for PD and has no impact. I was disappointed and de motivated to hear that. I read online that exercise should be good for PD. Did anyone has similar comments from your neurologist?
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Astronomer90
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All of the specialist I see strongly recommend exercises. I see a neurologist, movement specialist, chiropractor, functional medicine Dr... They all feel it helps.
Exercise isn't a cure but it can slow progression and minimise secondary complications. I find Prof Bloem's work very inspiring. I'm surprised that you were told that by your consultant.
Exercise is recommended for most diseases to keep the blood flowing, brain going, muscles moving, flexibility and more.
I'm surprised at your neurologist's response. See links below about exercise and PD. Also look up Pedaling for PD, Rock Steady Boxing, Stretching, Yoga, Tai Chi (chair exercises), Fast Walking, LSVT (speech and physical therapy - big steps) and more.
My neurologist is a Movement Disorder Specialist who happens to have a PhD in addition to his MD degree. He strongly recommends exercise and considers it "as important as meds". He also recommends Tai Chi (for balance and coordination) and dancing (to develop my sense of rhythm). I hope that you get to see your MDS doctor soon.
…He gave me trihexyphenidyl hcl. Never heard of it before. Is it good for tremors?
Yes, it may very well work for tremors at the expense of short term memory.
Trihexyphenidyl, trade name Artane, belongs to a class of medication called anticholinergics that work by blocking a certain natural substance (acetylcholine).
The neurotransmitter acetylcholine is vital for memory. And I would not want to mess with it.
My spouse was offered this by her neurologist, but i suggested she not follow through with the prescription.
Here are two post from health unlocked on this drug 🤯
Did it start working immediately or it took weeks? I am asking because I am taking it for 4-5 days but no impact on tremors. But I do feel side effects such as blurry vision, dizziness and low heart rate.
I honestly don’t remember how long it took to work. Sorry. I don’t have those side effects. I used Amantadine first. That knocked back the tremors, but I did get side effects after a few months. Artane has been a better choice for me/
The lack of sufcient GDNF is the cause of PD so, the more you prodeuce tha better you get. Ihave had PD for 30 yaers and at 88 I am still going strong!
GDNF is 'Glial Derived Neurotrophic Factor' Glial cells are the brain cells which manage the production of GDNF. Neurotrophic means Nerve repair or replacement. So, FAST WALKING PRODUCES GDNF AND GDNF REDUCES NUMBER OF DAMAGED BRAIN CELLS AND OUR PD SYMPTOMS GET BETTER.
I am 88 now and have had PD for 30 yesrs and live a useful life still.
Omg! I think it’s time to find a new doctor! Aside from taking meds like Carbidopa/Levodopa, exercise is the #1 doctor recommendation. You are doing the right thing and your body is telling you so. LISTEN to your instincts. This disease is so very individual. Have you read the B1 Therapy book? My hwp (diagnosed 2 years ago) is trying it… It’s helped many people and we’ve got nothing to lose. Best of luck!
Thanks everyone for your replies. This gives me a lot of motivation and encouragement to continue with my exercise. Definitely I am looking to change my neurologist.
My husband’s neurologist is also meds minded,and feels anything that isn’t sinemet is no use. Most of them follow a rigid protocol and never have learned to think outside the box.However his PD. nurse is far more open minded,so I by pass the neurologist and go to her…Exercise has worked really well for my husband where conventional meds,with their long list of scary side effects have done very little.A lot of the folks that post here are more knowledgeable than their neurologist,they research and test out what they discover.So go ahead and exercise! We found PD Warrior exercises specifically targeted PD symptoms,and over 10 weeks really helped balance and co ordination.
I traveled and worked in many dozens of locations as a primary care MD. I did a lot of temp work working several months at s time. It is ironic I have to depend on neurology because long before I had a neurologic problem I was not impressed with neurologists in the United States. I have long felt they are generally poorly informed, not curious, often training in inbreed institutions, arrogant, close minded, and even lazy about doing a decent neurologic exam. Except for phone calls to Mayo I have yet to even talk to one that keeps up with the literature.
Yes, these characteristics might describe medicine to often in the United States but, neurology is absolutely the worst in my experience. Even neurologists that I think are pretty good sometimes miss major findings on physical exam. If I refer someone for abnormal reflexes and weakness, they really should be careful before they say the reflexes are normal. They are quick to say something is just psychological. I have to refer someone to more than one often to get a diagnosis far too often. I have seen doctors giving chronic Coumadin for stroke many years after Plavix was standard of care because “well we have always done it this way and we get good results with it.” Apparently this group of neurologists did not believe in controlled studies done after their training period.
Often where I worked I had very limited options for which neurologists to use and these doctors really scared me.
Even in a state university settings where I would think they would be better, they are shockingly incompetent. These are teaching hospitals where the next group of neurologists are learning.
Lately it is a 2 year wait to see neurology in 2 different states. These neurology clinics are bursting with rechecks for simple neurologic problems that primary care could easily handle.
I strongly suspect that neurologist on this forum are trying really hard to avoid many of these characteristics.
It does not surprise me one bit that a neurologist would say exercise does not help Parkinson’s.
I am venting obviously about what I have been thinking for decades.
Since Parkinson’s is very common, that helps neurologists be informed enough to give reasonably good care to most patients. At least I hope so.
Every single expert I’ve talked to or read about PD say exercise is the single most important thing we can do to slow progression. This includes Neurologists, other doctors, physical therapists and patients. I’ve been told to exercise every single day for at least an hour!
I just attended WPC 2023 in Barcelona and the research presented showed that exercise actually cause changes in your brain. It may cause to reverse or slow PD is unclear; however it does help the symptoms. Besides, it cannot hurt. The exercise that you enjoy and raises to heart is the one for you.
By the way, I also underwent cataract surgery recently which meant that I was forbidden to exercise for several weeks until both eyes had healed completely. The effect of lack of exercise on my PD symptoms was an eye-opener; I was struggling to walk after several weeks without my usual exercise. My symptoms improved shortly after resuming my workouts.
PD is commonly thought to be caused by dopamine deficiency. So you take dopamine and feel better. Exercise is recommended because it stimulates dopamine production. My guess is that running by causing the "Runner's High" is also causing dopamine release. I don't know if that's the case. Is the "Runner's High" merely dopamine? I take Rytary. I don't get a rush of chemicals from the Rytary. I do get a rush from the exercise. It feels a bit like codeine or demerol or some such narcotic. But never from the Rytary. I was prescribed Demerol after fracturing my jaw. The feeling is much more intense than Rytary. Sadly the demerol is broken down by liver enzymes so I'd need much larger doses to have an effect. The more you take, the more your body tries to break it down. So I'm stuck with exercise and hope for the "Runner's High" which sometimes happens and sometimes doesn't.
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