Hi
My mum has early stage parkinsons disease with hand tremor .
Currently neurologist has prescribed Madopar in the treatment cycle.
She spends most time in bed and has lost a lot of weight ie loss of appetite above all
Im thinking that she has depression and need to find out what anti-depressants have been used here , I like to be prepared before I visit drs.
Look forward to your response
Citalopram worked well for us.
Where in the world are you?
Well it is an appalling condition what your mother suffering both medically and psychologically . In terms of Parkinson's disease it is a neuro-degenerative disease resulted malfunction of dopamine neurotransmitter . This neurotransmitter is responsible diverse functions in the brain such as movement , emotions and feeling pleasure . The best way to manage as a medicine is to take L-dopa which is a precursor for dopamine , on the other side depression sometimes develop as a result of stress accumulation and more secretion of hormones due to the emotional circumstance patient's have . So at least under healthcare provider it can manage drugs known as SSRI which abbreviated for selective serotonin re uptake inhibitors including Prozac and citalopram . In the Global Research Parkinson's disease is still unknown its causal factor and remains obscured although new therapeutic approaches developing to set back its hurdles . Also it is important to keep your food intake and diet because loss of appetite contributes wane of the immunity which can make susceptible to other diseases to come , so particularly fruits and vegetables are necessary bulk treatments of disease some studies suggest that . I hope to find useful this bit advice .
I was the same way initially. Not just staying in bed but lot of weight loss and depression, sleep problems. I got put on small dose of Nortriplyline which is technically an antidepressant but in this case was to help me sleep, the dr wanted to give me time before starting on an antidepressant as it is a form of natural grief you go through. Something worked, perhaps it was just time, and I'm feeling much better now. My advice would be to gently encourage her to get up and about, some interesting activities that get her moving that she enjoys. Exercise will certainly help the depression, and actually the increased levels of dopamine with the madopar should help too. All the best with her.
It may be Parkinson's fatigue which is different from depression! I get it irregularly - yesterday I felt utterly exhausted and moving my body at all was a chore. In my case sometimes but not always accompanied by low blood pressure.
What does your mom say about it? Is she too exhausted to move or just uninterested?
The neurotransmitter changes in Parkinson'/ are more than just changes in Dopamine and can cause a range of non motor symptoms.
The non motor symptoms can have a more profound effect on ones life than the motor symptoms but unfortunately this is often still put down to feeling sad due to the diagnosis.
Sometimes restoring the dopamine in the brain through using l Dopa medications works to raise the mood but often an anti depressant needs to be taken for a while to bring things back to an even keel
Apathy and fatigue can all be intertwined and you might need help from the family doctor to assess whether or not depression is present.
Have a look at this booklet.
Hi how old is your mum ? I was diagnosed 6 years ago age 49 I was depressed at first now I've pulled myself out of it I have 3 horses which I share with my daughter I muck out every day ride fall off sometimes. But it's keeping me stabilised exercise is very important. If she doesn't move soon she'll not be able to. You must keep the muscle tone. Exercise also releases endorphins so try to encourage her to do something. Good luck.
I'm wondering why she's spending a lot of time in bed? If she's recently diagnosed, possibly she's in shock. I was not shocked at my diagnosis but at around the same time something very traumatic happened in my life, it all got overwhelming and I took to my bed for a bit - but only a weekend. (Then I got bored). Staying in bed for long periods can signal depression. I don't personally have any experience of anti-depressants but family members do and I know they've had to try one or two before finding one that suits. Someone also mentioned tiredness and I do get overtaken by a sudden exhaustion sometimes.
A diagnosis of PD is not the end of the world by any means. There are adjustments that need to be made as you go along - this is a very helpful forum, full of people with PD living life who have lots of useful tips and experience. Perhaps when your mum is ready, she might like to join us. In the meantime, she is fortunate to have you. Someone mentioned exercise earlier and I find that essential.
I just love this forum, you've got such good replies - I have anxiety and depression and when my hubby was diagnosed this year I cried broken-heartedly for several nights before I realized that life has to go on and I needed to be strong to look after him, he's hidden his symptoms for years from GP's till he got really bad - I thought they related to his heart ops. and subsequent heart failure. Hope things are going o.k. for her now, would like to hear from you as we live in Australia also. This is in reply to PSZ28
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