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Blank, Emily Celia wrote: >>I would like to introduce myself. I do not have Parkinson's myself, but my >>77 year old mother is in a moderately advanced stage of Parkinson's. My >>parents' house has stairs so she is hoping to move into assisted living >>soon. >> >>I think she's on the standard medication, levadopa and sinemet(?). My main >>concern is that her appetite is very poor which is a relatively recent >>development. Her doctor thinks it might be the medication. >> >>I'd be interested in any experiences people have had regarding ability to >>eat. >> >>Many thanks, >>Emily Blank >> >>Economics Department, Howard University Dear Emily, I'm a registered dietitian, specializing in PD; appetite loss is not at all uncommon among those with PD, and there a number of possible causes. Medications, as you say, are one -- particularly in older adults, and particularly if the older adult is taking more than one kind of medication (multiple meds). Another possible cause is depression, which also occurs frequently with PD, and can be very subtle and hard to detect. Another possibility is slowed stomach emptying, which can manifest as "early satiety" -- the individual feels full after only a few bites of food. I would discuss this thoroughly with her doctor. Best regards, Kathrynne -- Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD "Ask the Parkinson Dietitian" http://www.parkinson.org/ "Eat well, stay well with Parkinson's disease" "Parkinson's disease: Guidelines for Medical Nutrition Therapy" http://www.nutritionucanlivewith.com/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn