Datscan

[Carrollee]

Hello you lovely people. Could anyone tell me of any side effects they experienced having this scan. My father is having one on the 4th of May and I will be with him for the whole process and would like to be prepared in advance to help him. Any opinions on the scan would be gratefully received also. Thank you. All the best cc 🤗

[Ajssister]

My bro had one this past Tuesday n did not seem to have any visible after affects. It was just a long day n he was tired but felt good that this might give some him some definitive answer.

[Carrollee in reply to Ajssister]

Thank you Ajssister. I am worried about his exhaustion as it is such a long day but as you say getting answers is always a bonus for any condition. I hope we all get to hear what we need from these tests in order for us to move forward. All the best to you and your brother cc 🤗

[Jeansm]

Absolutely no side effects for me. Just answers.

[Kia17]

No visible side effects for me.

[Ajssister]

I also tried to make sure he was hydrated and warm. Hospitals are always cold and I brought food to keep his blood sugar leveled and his medication. Brought something to read as it was a long day. Our whole experience was about 6 hrs. Good luck n God bless.

[gingerj]

My memory was the lead clad needle for the radioactive dye. It didn't hurt but looks scary. The scan was strange in that the plates travel around your head which is clamped to prevent movement. You have to wait a while after the injection before the scan but the scan itself took about 30 minutes. It will be ok.😁

[Greenday]

Some drugs such as certain antidepressant, stimulants, inhibitors may interfere with the result and have to be stopped 1 of more days before the exam. Please consult with your specialists about which drugs you need to stop before taking the exam

[Herz]

No side effects for myself

[ion_ion]

I cancelled mine after I realized it was useless. This test it does not give 100% confirmation of PD and it is very expensive. In Michigan costs 8000$ and insurance covered 80%. The best test is to try sinemet for few days without being necessary to go through this datscan ordeal.

[Carrollee in reply to ion_ion]

Hi ion_ion. Thanks for your honesty. The neurologist ordered it up as dad has many Parkinson's symptoms but he feels it could be vascular Parkinson's in which case the drugs won't work but he would have had to go up to a high dose before they could say they were not working or even try a few as not everyone responds to the same drug. So I guess the choice is unnecessary drugs in your system or a long scan then a plan of action. I believe the scan does show if the problem is to do with the dopamine receptors (if I've got that right). We are very fortunate to have it on the NHS. All the best cc 🤗