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To List Members
 
Written from my own experience, not as a professional.
 
1) antihistamines and parkinson's
Yes, antihistamines can have a small anti-parkinson effect while they go
to work on sniffles or itches. .
 
I was prescribed Benadryl for  allergies AND its anti-parkinson efffect
and for its tendency to cause sleepiness. One tablet in the evening - a
much larger quantity than you  usually get over-the-counter.    I took
the Benadryl for a couple of years, but stopped taking it because a) dry
mouth was ruining my teeth and b) the family cat died and my itches faded
away.
 
It took a while to convince the insurance company to cover my Benadryl. I
finally sent them a photocopy of a page from a parkinson text which
mentioned that benadryl could improve parkinson symptoms.
 
If you take an antihistamine  or over-the-counter cold remedy and you are
also taking antiparkinson drugs you may feel a little overdosed. This is
something you should discuss with your pharmacist or doctor. Make them
look up all the drugs you take in their reference books  (don't trust
memory). Better still,  get a photocopy of the relevant pages for your
personal parkinson files.
 
2) amantadine as diagnostic tool
Response to regular Sinemet  is sometimes used to confirm a diagnosis of
parkinsons and eliminate 'look-alike' conditions.   Some of us with
parkinsons have had only a very minor improvement or none at all when
taking Amantadine --thus it would not give a definite yes or no answer.
Hope this helps
Amme Rutherford
Newfoundland