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My mother Joyce (68/1 year) is not doing well. She's on 25/100 Sinemet 3x/day; 21 mg Requip (taken 3x/day in 7 mg. doses); and 10 mg. NAHD (sp??). She is very rigid (left side), is bothered my internal tremors, has difficulty breathing sometimes, is stooping, and has a heavy head. She also has numb toes as well as swelling around the ankles and feet, along with some discoloration. The one improvement is in her balance, which was bad in the past. She tried Tasmar and has also been on Permax and Paxil. She never felt any dramatic improvement from any of these drugs. After seeing her MDS today, he suggested that she might have a Parkinsonian disease. He is taking her off the Requip in the next 10 days and giving Amandine (sp??) a try. I have a few questions: First, is saying you have a Parkinsonian disease the same as saying you have Parkinson's Plus? If not, what's the difference? Also, if you have a Parkinsonian disease, would you be likely to respond to some PD drugs? How much of a response (or lack thereof) do you have to experience to rule out PD or to say it's a Parkinsonian disease? Finally, is the prognosis the same for someone with a Parkinsonian disease as it is with a PWP? (I realize that the benefit from drugs will not be there with the former, but is life expectancy the same?) As always, thanks. Debbie White [log in to unmask]