Alcoholism and Parkinsons

[Stazina]

I'm curious if anyone is brave enough to talk about Alcohol Use Disorder and its effects on Parkinson's.

[AmyLindy]

Great topic ...

[Kwinholt]

Hi there , I as the person with PD do not drink however, my husband is a functioning alcoholic . That brings different challenges with not being able to depend on things . I know he loves me and is my biggest cheerleader but he also has a disease too. We’ve been together for 42 years and couldn’t think of anyone else I would be with but sometimes it all is overwhelming. Take care. K

[Stazina in reply to Kwinholt]

Thank you for your reply, this is a difficult situation to live with.

[Kwinholt in reply to Stazina]

Thank you for your support . K

[M1tz1 in reply to Kwinholt]

Hang in there, Kwinholt.

[Kwinholt in reply to M1tz1]

Thank you for your support. K

[rhyspeace12]

My husband was a functioning alcoholic. He could drink two bottles a night. I look back now and see that perhaps he was trying to medicate himself against symptoms that the Parkinson's were bringing on. He doesn't drink much now at all, he just slowly quit caring about it as his Parkinson's advanced.

[Johnmo]

It's in the back of my mind. All the bad hangovers. The poisoning. I could feel it. The progressive destruction of the cerebellum. My symptoms now showing after all the years are more like cerebellar ataxia than Parkinson's. It's frightening.

[glenandgerry in reply to Johnmo]

Am curious to know in what way are your symptoms more like cerebellar ataxia?

[Johnmo in reply to glenandgerry]

Having tried to regain my train of thought I find it is no longer clear. CA seems a good candidate for our parkinsonism. The cerebellum and the basal ganglia are prime targets for anything that gets across the blood brain fence. It's the progressive paralysis that scares me. The inability to move but still be able to feel the muscles and joints. Luckily I have developed a reassuring right hand tremor.

[Stazina in reply to Johnmo]

It's also important to note that Alcohol is a Central Nervous System irritant, true a small amount can be helpful however tremors can actually become worsened as well as depression. Damage to the Cerebellum causes balance problems, tremors and wide gait walking (Ataxia)

[Donzim]

Since those with bipolar disorder commonly self medicate with alcohol and depression is an early symptom of PD, it wouldn’t be a surprise if PD and alcoholism were related. Although my husband was not diagnosed with BP disorder, he had PD with depression...we do, however, have a father in law, half brother in law, a niece and a daughter who are alcoholics. My husband often said he thought if it not been for our choice of lifestyle and a wonderful marriage , he might have been one also. He did have a huge sweet tooth which got worse as PD progressed...very common with PD. I don’t believe in coincidences. I suspect the commonality is ability to metabolize glucose normally...if not a cause, a resulting effect.

[Life-is-good]

It helps me. I don’t take meds (for now). I drink a shot of overproof rhum (63%) every night and helps with the trembling.I was diagnosed about 5 years ago. In my first visit to a neurologist I was told by a resident that alcohol helps some people by limiting trembling. I always hated pills.Good day to everyone!

[MBAnderson]

That alcoholism can induce Parkinson's is recognized in the literature.

Alcohol is pretty bad for PWP because, as it triggers several feedback loops, i.e., impairs sleep, is a depressant, contributes to constipation, spikes blood sugar, etc., a person would likely progress slower if they abstained.

[jaybird53]

Just reread MJFox’s book and he admits to being a heavy drinker when he was diagnosed. Marriage n kids straighten him out.