To Robert Barasch
I have asthma as well as PD. There are many medicines for asthma that cross
over the blood brain barrier and cause problems with PD. The drug, Thodor,
has a very common side effect, tremor. At one time I was on 1200 mg of
Thodor and would "flutter like a bee." The most common inhaler, called
albuterol, lists MOA inhibitors and tricyclic anti-depression drugs as
potential problems. The primary reason is that albuterol stimulates the
adrenal gland.
I recently had problems with an asthma drug called Atrovent. This is an antic
holinergic what when presented alone in a nebulizr, will really throw you for
a loop in your PD symptoms. Atrovent and albuterol are meant to be combined
in the nebulizr. This somehow makes the drug acceptable.
The drugs I use for asthma are the following:
Albuterol for nebulizr: as needed for severe asthma attack
Albuterol as an inhaler on an as needed basis for light attacks of asthma
Asmacort inhaler: two puffs three times a day
Tilade inhaler: two puffs three times a day
I have two other tricks I use for bad problems with asthma:
1) I have a supply of predisone 20 mg tablets. These I only take in what is
called a taper. A big taper is
3 per day for 2 days, 2 per day for 3 days and 1 per day for 3 days =
15 pills
and a small taper is: 2 per day for 4 days and 1 per day for 4 days
= 12 pills
I caution people on the use of predisone as it is a steroid with bad side
effects if taken over extended periods of time.
2) Twice I have experienced a very sudden asthma attack that has triggered PD
dyskinesia. This is very scary because they feed on each other and the
spiral goes very fast. The first time this happened was about two months
ago. I was home alone. The asthma started to constrict my breathing at the
same time I begin to lose control of body movement and my arms, legs and head
were moving violently. I was about 15 minutes from a hospital, but was in no
condition to drive there. I was about to dial 911 when I saw my "blue
goggles" that I have worked with for controlling dyskinesia. I put these on
over my glasses -- and in 5 to 10 seconds all my muscles relaxed. The asthma
was down to a whisper and the dyskinesia was gone. I kept the blue goggles
on for about 30 minutes to assure the two attacks had properly subsided. Now
this type of attack has happened more than once since than and the blue
goggles have successfully calmed me. Now I know the color blue has a calming
effect, so what I did was not just a guess. I suspect blue may have worked
for a number of simple reasons: (1) It has a calming effect (2) it has a
myopic effect in that it filters out much visual noise which may be the cause
of dyskinesia (3) anxiety was feeding both the asthma and PD and blues
calming value may have removed the anxiety attach and thus remove the fuel of
the PD and asthma attack. What ever it was, I accepted the result with a
feeling of great relief.
As a test I have tried using the blue goggles for reduction of asthma
symptoms only and they have been of marginal value.
Just a reminder, asthma is considered a killer in that it can cause death.
PD and asthma have the potential of quickening the process. Both disease
need to be medicated to optimum level or they will antagonize the other. If
others have PD and asthma, I would like to hear your stores too. By the way,
I get much of my doctoring on asthma form Tony Schoonenberg in LA. Tony
is a inhalation therapist with PD.
Regards,
Alan Bonander ([log in to unmask])
