I thought the standard test for Parkinson’s disease was Levadopa . If you respondeded to Levadopa you had Parkinson’s. If you did not respond the patient did not have Parkinson’s disease . The physician would look for other diseases like PSP.
Please correct me if I am wrong.
Dear TeeAnn, yes that was my experience with my husband who was diagnosed with PSP after being prescribed Levadopa which just made him sleepy and did nothing else. The first diagnosis was Parkinson’s . Hope that helps.
My husband was originally diagnosed with MSA last year and was put on Levadopa. It never seemed to make any difference, but he doesn’t want to come off it in case there is a difference. He was recently diagnosed with PSP rather than MSA and the consultant doubled his dose. It still doesn’t seem to do anything though.
Hi, as a rule of thumb I think you are right but there is more to it than that, if I recall correctly there are eight types of PSP and some do respond to Levadopa. There is an article here about it frontiersin.org/articles/10...
Yes, my husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s by being helped with Levodopa. However 9 years later his eyes became affected and when we switched to a slow movement neuro she caught it on the 1st visit! That’s why it’s important to see a slow movement Dr. Not that we would have done anything different but maybe we would have been more informed of what’s ahead. Maybe it was better we didn’t know!!! He passed away a year and half ago.
HI TeeAnn, my hubby was initially diagnosed with Parkinsons but subsequently a neurologist diagnosed CBD.
He was given Sinamet to help symptoms of Parkinsons, but it was discontinued as it gave him extreme dizziness, like being tumbled in a Tombola, he said. He hated it and refused to be put back on it at a later date by a subsequent consultant who still favored the Parkinsons condition.
We were also told that Sinamet would not work for CBD.
Hugs
Jen
Hi my mum has CBD with Parkinsonism symptoms and is on levodopa. All we’ve been told is that it slows down the progression of the disease and that’s it. She’s been on it for about three years now.
I was told by the neurologist that it sometimes had a small chance of managing the more Parkinsons type symptoms and my mum had it for around 18 months.
You are right to an extent, you just need to consider it is not so black and white. If someone responds well to Levodopa, it helps the probability of Parkinsons, if doesn't respond to levodopa it helps the probability of something else, but there are cases of PSP that are helped by levodopa (at least to a degree) and you also have a placebo effect which can make you really feel better, despite it wasn't the molecule that helped just your own will power. Last but not least, the concept of responding well or not responding well is not a simple switch... you have degrees of responsiveness... hence, it still takes time to diagnose, and as there is not just a one simple indicator, you need to look at various indicators
free from psp
My grandad <3 died at the hands of psp 11.4.13
My wife has PSP and there may not be a cure for PSP, but there is a drug that slows the progression
New to PSP
My psp spouse is suddenly leaning to the right. He cannot straighten up his body in his wheelchair. He says there is no pain. 
