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To list members:
 
I am a new subscriber and I could not find an answer to my
specific query in the archives.
 
My father-in-law, aged 64 now, was diagnosed 18 months ago
with PD.  He has been taking 3 pills a day of Sinemet 100-25,
medication for high blood pressure, and Prozac to treat
his depression.
 
Physically, he has been doing very well, working out with
weights and exercycling.  Mentally, he had been unaffected,
until about a month ago.  (He just retired from a professorship,
and finished writing a grant proposal about six weeks ago)
Between a month ago and two weeks ago, his mental state rapidly
deteriorated.  He is now confused, free-associating in conversation
in a completely uncharacteristic way, and remembering events from
20-30 years ago, but forgetting recent ones.  He is experiencing
some degree of paranoia, being suspicious of his dog, for example.
Last week, he was still reading the newspaper, albeit slowly.  Now,
he does not.  There are plenty more changes, as you probably
all know.
 
He saw his neurologist early on in the deterioration, when he was
quite cogent in his responses to the doctor's questions, so the doctor
thought that his symptoms were mild.  Today, his family physician
saw such a dramatic change that she has ordered a CATSCAN.  In the interim,
the psychiatrist who prescribed Prozac took him off it, thinking it may
have been responsible.
 
The family's understanding has been that the onset of dementia is slow
in Parkinson's and that it is expected after many years of illness.
Is it possible that the dementia that sometimes accompanies PD
could come so quickly and so overwhelmingly?  Or should we be looking
for other explanations?  Any experiences or pointers to relevant information
would be much appreciated.
 
 
George Tomlinson
 
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George Tomlinson
[log in to unmask]
Department of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics
University of Toronto.