My dad has developed anxiety as a result of Parkinsons. Out of curiosity, do you use one or both of these ....Klonopin (Clonazapam) and Ativan (Lorazepam)...or perhaps another med or homeopathic med? His anxiety is considerable and treating it could make the difference between getting out or staying home, enjoying guests or not. However he wants to be careful with these addictive and controlled substances.
Thanks Guys!
rsacdoolittle here is my philosophy. Take what works.
It is extremely important to be educated as to the long term effects and side effects of pharmaceuticals before simply taking 'what works'. Many things 'work' on a short term basis. I think what raccsdoolittle is looking for is our experiences with regard to certain meds.
I believe PD patients are particularly vulnerable to psych drugs as their systems are so sensitive and it is well established that it is very difficult to medicate older people with these drugs.
It behooves us to be informed so we know the price we are paying for 'what works'. Suggest we all get copies of Suzy Cohen's book, Drug Muggers, and that's just for 'normal' people! Imagine what some of these drugs do when they interact with the drugs we must already take!
Donzim You are absolutely right! I apologize for my response. It was not well thought out.
The most common anti-anxiety supplement listed on this site by participants is theanine, a amino acid in white, black, green and oolong tea(s). Here is a study showing it out performed xanax in a trial:
lifeextension.com/magazine/...
Always like your advice with a reference. Just because I like to read about it. Thanks!
I will ask if he would like to try Theanine, or just get some and see if he wants to try it, Silvestrov. Thank you so much for helping out with the article...can't wait to read it! Blessings for a great day Friend
I take theanine because it reduces anxiety and it is good for PD. There are studies showing it to be effective in studies, like this one:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/184...
Also, it has been mentioned that 50% of PWP who have dementia, have a 50% additional diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Theanine has also been shown to be effective in Alzheimer's studies:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/197...
Finally, theanine, when taken in large enough quantities, boosts the immune system. Dr. Jack Bukowski of Harvard showed that people who drank 5 cups of black tea a day significantly boosted their immune systems. PWP usually have compromised immune systems:
Great article!
I agree with 12 Stargate. Quality of life is the best thing to aim for.
rsacdoolittle,
i have been on Ativan for a very long time, and with any medication, that builds up a tolerance in your body. My nuero writes me a script for 2mgs, 3xs per day. Which I try not to abuse and overuse. So i usually only take what I feel is required to make it thru my day, which is usually 2xs per day. Usually I take one when i go to bed to help me relax and also helps with my Dystonia rigidity which i really tend to notice at bedtime when i am trying to fall asleep but are having bad muscle spasms which also cause me to feel anxious and i often get a queezy stomach and i was told that Ativan helps that nervous nausea, which it seems to work very well. I also take one in the late morning after my other PD meds have had a chance to kick in and i am getting ready to start my day which often is filled with appointments that make me a bit anxious and just leaving my false safe haven that my friends jokingly refer to as my "SHOEBOX" aka as My Bedroom.... lol. This is where you will find me on a bad pd/dystonia day and where i feel most comfortable and secure. Probably not the best thing to do but sometimes I do what works for me not necessarily what is probably the best way to handle things but at this point if i can find security and a comfort feeling i go with it.
Taking Ativan has really helped with my anxiety, although if i take it too often it has a depressing effect sometimes depending on my current mood. So i have to be careful of that. No bad side effects that i know of and it has been one of them most helpful and versatile meds that i take. Everyone is different however but i hope my post helps you.
Luv to all, DF
Love your slogan for you dad!
Love your slogan for your dad!
To the best of my knowledge... Lorazepam is fast acting and short lived. Clonazapam is just the opposite so it's more effective overall. I take 2.5 mgs every 4-6 hrs. It helps control anxiety and dystonia which are the same problem manifesting different expressions. One is physical the other is psychological.
I've been on it for over 3 years and I'm probably addicted but it definitely helps my quality of life.
Etterus, which one do you take? Thank you for responding! ☺
Clonazapam
Have you talked to him about supplementing his Parkinson's meds with GABA. GABA is short for gamma amino butyric acid, which is not a controlled substance and is available at health food vendors. GABA has a mild calming effect. Anxiety might be reduced by using GABA, actuallly depletion of the body's GABA can bring on a panick attack. Only way to see if your dad would benefit is to try it. It doesn't cost very much I use it along with my Sinemet and some mucuna pruriens powder and some green tea extract so I can attest that it blends well with those taken all at the same time. I recommend the Swanson vitamin company for your vendor, they seem to be reliable and they sell one product called GABA-plex that contains 3 other things that also calm the mind. Good luck
Klonopin and lorazepam have a high probability of interfering with carbidopa/levodopa, as do all of the benzoazapines. They will probably stop the anxiety but at the price of decreased mobility.
Our experience with anxiety has been pretty awful and we have tried just about everything, including rTMS, controlled breathing and drugs which caused almost a year of terrible hallucinations. All of the anxiety attacks resulted in severe nausea which made matters worse. Anti nausea drugs made things worse.
Since my husband is obviously a person who reacts badly to psych drugs, we just had to eliminate that option from his life. But then what?
Here is our fairly successful remedy: the amino acid l-Theanine 400mg on arising and every four hours until dinner time when we reduce it to 200mg and then 100mg at bedtime. The reduction at those times is because a larger dose would interfere with sleep. We may still yet monkey around with that by reducing it further so he can get better sleep.
Also helpful to us are taurine, magnesium and GABA.
He also takes oil of lavender capsules every 3-4 hours, sometimes one, other times two. It stops anxiety dead in its tracks. The only manufacturer I know of is Integrative Therapeutics.
You will see that we totally ignore the recommended daily dose on the bottles. If you choose to use these, my experience is that we started low and worked upwards. When we got to the point of effectiveness, we stoppedincreasing. Each person has a different metabolism and a different biorhythm.
My husband is on Rytary which has been terrific for him but it is still carbidopa/levodopa.
Thanks Donzim! I have not heard of Rytary. Will probably try each supplement over time.
Rytary is not a supplement. It is the newest carbidopa/levodopa extended release drug for Parkinsons.
I find a lot of help in this, Donzim. Thanks!
A well-intentioned hospice nurse requested Lorazepam for my mother. My mother became agitated, depressed and mean. I was able to get her in to see a geropsychiatrist after 3 months . He immediately took her off the lorazepam and said it is contraindicated for use in the eldery(despite being widely prescribed), especially elderly with organic brain issues. Within 2 weeks, my mother's mood and behavior improved.
That is a scary, sad reaction Diane.
I've used ativan, klonopin, etc but prefer something PRN like Valium which works quickly and effectively. I limit my use to no more than two 10mg a day if I use it at all. I've experienced no dependency issues.
I've been using clonazapam .5 mg since 2009 for REM sleep behavior disorder. It works great and I see no downsides, for me anyway.
Anyone experience a wearing off cough/shortness of breath?
Tremors only on one side
Enlarged dilated pupils
Normal Meds: is this it?!
