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Thanks to John Cottingham for his info on this subject. My father has had and does have both of these problems - worsened by a hernia in his esophagus. The drooling issue is a problem my mother finds most aggravating. (Sometimes she thinks he's doing it on purpose.) Anything we've tried to "dry" it up has caused an increase in dementia and confusion. Most of our medication decisions are based on the premise that we prefer more shaking and drooling than dementia. Our present course of action is towel bibs! There was a Saturday Night Live skit many many years ago that had everyone wearing medieval drool cups. We taped it from the Comedy Channel and my Dad actually laughed at it! Constipation is no longer a problem for us. We have some "lessons learned" from our experience. As Dad's PD progressed, constipation and choking became more common. Unfortunately he lost weight and developed an anemia problem. For some reason we didn't move early enough to a feeding tube in his stomach. He's had it now for 1 1/2 years. Most all of his nourishment and meds go through the tube. He does still enjoy tea, coffee, milk shakes, ice cream and hard candies. He's gained his weight back and then some which is great, and the anemia is gone. Also, his medications are more effective because the food moves through him properly. The tube feeding has cleared up the constipation. What we learned is that the milestone of going to tube feeding was hard for Mom and myself, but the results were great! We should have done it earlier. Dad says it is not uncomfortable, all of us help out with the feeding when we're there. Even my 3 year old thinks it is cool to help. He'd like a tube too, so that he doesn't have to eat icky food. When constipation was a problem, our "cure" was one cup, every evening, of "Laci LeBeau Dieters Tea" found in health food stores in a red box. My sister, a home health nurse, recommends it to her patients. It keeps you regular! without a dependency on laxatives. I hope my comments aren't depressing anyone. Please remember that my father has lived with PD for over 25 years. And he is still a vital part of our family. I'm so happy that he's still here to enjoy my children. PD has kept me and my siblings closer to each other and has given us a great appreciation for the time we have and the time we spend with my parents. The key is and has always been that the more stimulation and activities he can stay involved in, the better he is. Nothing improves him more than a trip to the lake to watch birds or a family gathering. Sara Byron [log in to unmask]