Advice

[Patitou]

I am 65, recently diagnosed, no C/L medication so far.

I just read this,

An anticholinergic medication may be recommended to reduce symptoms of bothersome tremor in people with Parkinson disease under age 70 who do not have significant akinesia or difficulty walking. There are several anticholinergic drugs available for people with Parkinson disease, including trihexyphenidyl, benztropine, orphenadrine, procyclidine, and biperiden. These medications are believed to be equally effective.

Anyone using these above with no other medications for PD?

Also, anyone taking only Mucuna ? What is your dose, brand and experience?

Thanks!

[park_bear]

jnnp.bmj.com/content/81/2/160

Use of drugs with anticholinergic effect and impact on cognition in Parkinson's disease: a cohort study

"Conclusion Our findings suggest that there is an association between anticholinergic drug use and cognitive decline in PD."

jamanetwork.com/journals/ja...

Cumulative Use of Strong Anticholinergics and Incident Dementia

"Conclusions and Relevance Higher cumulative anticholinergic use is associated with an increased risk for dementia."

[Patitou in reply to park_bear]

Thank you park_bear. Very informative. Have you tried Mucuna at any time? 😊

[jocelyng in reply to Patitou]

I use trihexyphenidyl for my tremor. I take half a pill once a day. It works well. Haven’t really noticed any side effects.

As for Mucuna, I suggest you search the group. You’ll find dozens (maybe more) discussions about it. A number of people to find success with that, but you have to be really careful. It’s easy to take too much, and it’s unregulated so you don’t really know how much you’re getting.

[Patitou in reply to jocelyng]

Thank you! May I ask you about your age?

Park_Bear responses had me worried as I am 65, but my tremors are beginning to upset me

[jocelyng in reply to Patitou]

62. I’ve been taking it for at least three years. I was on something else originally but had side effects.

[Patitou in reply to jocelyng]

jocelyng, did your tremors go away completely?

[jocelyng in reply to Patitou]

They come back if I’m really tired or stressed. In that case, I’ll sometimes take another 1/2.

[park_bear in reply to Patitou]

Yes I have tried mucuna. If you decide to try this I highly recommend the unconcentrated whole bean powder which is around 5% levodopa. It takes me at least two tablespoons to get an effective dose because of the low concentration. However, it does not cause nausea which I experience with the concentrated extract versions.

By way of medication I mainly use carbidopa levodopa ER.

You also might want to consider alternatives such as high dose thiamine.

[Patitou in reply to park_bear]

yes, I have been taking for a month 50 mg B1 sublingual mon-wed-fri but I do not see improvements

[Patitou in reply to park_bear]

Thank you!