 |
 |
>Uncomfortable Drooling in Parkinson's Disease >01/11/08 General >Let's tackle a frustrating issue openly. It's feels embarrassing when you >cannot control the spit that builds up in your mouth. More than 70 percent >of people with Parkinson's eventually experience some degree of drooling. >Medical science has explored some strategies that might help people get >around the difficulty. >In the December issue of Movement Disorders, four neurologists wrote an >article about current treatments that are meant to relieve drooling-or >sialorrhea in medical lingo. >Continuing with the theme of openness-the average person's salivary glands >secrete more than a liter of saliva each day. Usually swallowing reflexes >take care of it. However, people living with Parkinson's often lose that >reflex . Parkinson's may impair the ability to swallow as well, only getting >the job partially accomplished. As a result many people with Parkinson's end >up with frustrating episodes of drooling. >There are some treatments that your doctor may consider for addressing >drooling including: >Anticholerginc medications I take an anticholinergic (benztropine) and now I rarely drool. Instead I sometimes wake up in the morning feeling like I'd been eating socks all night ;-) -- Steve Rack Brattleboro VT ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn