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     Laura Lewis said ---

" My father also has a 20-25 year history of high blood pressure problems
" and heart arrhythmias.  His cardiologist currently prescribes Hytrin, 5
" mg., and Nadolol (corguard (?) generic), 40 mg, both of which he takes
" in the morning.

" When he begin Eldepryl last year, his neurologist wanted him to go off
" the blood presssure meds, but the cardiologist wanted him on them
" because of the arrhythmia.  They conferred by telephone and the
" cardiologist prevailed.

" In the last ten days my father has had a pronounced increase in extreme
" tiredness and weakness during the day.  He says both his body and his
" mind are very lethargic.  He can go to sleep or nap any time in the
" day, but when he sits at his desk at home and forces himself to work
" (IRS forms, etc.), he experiences inner tenseness and nervousness that
" feels like a hypertension episode and he can't concentrate.  Since he
" experiences this as high blood pressure, he has taken numerous readings
" and gets very low readings--for him at least--examples: 116/72 &
" 109/64.  His pulse rates are steady in 50-60's range.

          Edwin Partridge responds ---

  Some time ago, it became difficult for me to walk, and I
suffered from extreme fatigue. I walked with my head down,
shoulders hunched, and shuffled or clumped along. I also
had an episode of imbalance, so I visited a neurologist.
She said that I have Parkinson's disease.
  Shortly after I showed symptoms and was diagnosed as
having Parkinson's disease, I visited my ophthalmologist. I
have had high pressures in my eyes for many years. It had
reached the point that I was diagnosed as having glaucoma.
At the time I was using Betagan drops in my eyes twice a
day.
  My ophthalmologist remarked about my gait. I told him
that I had been diagnosed as a Parkinsonian. He said
immediately that I should stop using Betagan. He said it is
a beta-blocker, and I should not be taking a beta-blocker
if I had Parkinson's disease.
  That evening I did not take the drops, nor the next
morning.
  The next afternoon, I returned from a walk, and I told my
wife not to be too hopeful, but I thought that I was OK. I
was walking with my head up and my shoulders back, and I
had a spring to my step, coming down on my heels and
rocking up on my toes. I did not have that feeling that I
was about to fall forward going down an incline. I would
say that my symptoms were reduced about 90%. My condition
continued to improve, as I kept walking and feeling better
and better for several months. It was amazing that a single
tiny drop in each eye twice a day could make such a
difference.

  Let me quote also from a message that appeared on the
Parkinsn list awhile ago.
              -     -     -     -    -

Caution to all of you in PD cyberspace.

I have just returned from the emergency room after taking a
beta blocker:ATENOLOL 50 mg tablet.  No information exists
regarding possible interaction with antiParkinson drugs,
and after thorough checking, the dr.assumed it would be
safe for me to use it to attempt to correct heart
arrhythmia (skipping about 100 beats per hour).

What happened?

Thurs p.m. 50 mg atenolol - no reaction

Friday p.m. second dose - 50 mg atenolol.  Approximately 30
minutes after taking the second dose, I experienced
tightening in throat, left side of face, then tremor, then
severe dyskinesia and dystonia developing within 10 minutes
of onset of first tightening of muscles.  Called dr. and
husband (should have called 911) and was in ER within 20
minutes flailing arms and legs to kingdom come.
Intramuscular injection of Benadryl slows this movement
down within 5 minutes or so. (Benadryl would not slow PD
caused dyskinesia according to dr.) Use caution when
starting a newly prescribed drug. . .even if the checks are
all made by the pharmacy, etc.

                      Rita Weeks

              -     -     -     -    -
  I advise that people with Parkinson's disease should beware
of beta blockers. Someone else here has said that the corguard
that your father is taking is a long acting beta blocker.
Maybe that is not necessary in conjunction with the Parkinson
drugs. My blood pressure was normal, but now it reads very low,
usually 105 to 115, occasionally as low as 90! I am told that
the sinemet and parlodel which I take both tend to lower the
blood pressure.

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 * SLMR 2.1a * McLean Virginia USA  Tue 04-16-96 8:18 pm
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