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Hi Kathy, you wrote.............. > Subject: Need advice re foot cramps & PD SNIP > Foot cramps have been a major problem the last few yr.. Old neuro. said > were part of PD and treated symptomatically w/ moderate success. New > neuro.said they are rarely part of PD and thinks spinal stenosis causing > them and gave her VERY low dose of Neurontin. The next day she couldn't > walk and now 3 days later knees still give out. I D/C'd the neurontin > because of what seemed like obvious cause and effect, against Drs.wishes. > He said that Neurontin does not cause this side-effect, but I looked at > PDR and found "ataxia" as a side effect in 12% of cases. I'm confused, I > thought I had read that foot cramps, mainly at night and early am, were seen > in PD. If that is so what is with this new (very young) neuro. who says he > specializes in movement disorders. Any advice or hints would be so > appreciated as I try to work my way through this. Kathy, I belong to the Early Onset Support Group here and 25% of the members experience foot cramps as a painful part of their PD. The foot cramps are on their PD side and seem to occur at the "end of dose" or "off" time. This is normally most evident first thing in the morning as medications have not had time to kick in. If I forget to take my meds on time the foot cramp reminds me in a hurry. I'm 54 years old and most of our group are around my age or younger. Stretching helps alleviate this symptom. > I just am trying to figure out if this new Doc. is okay to continue with > and the foot cramps thing confused me. Also, that a nurse always returns > calls, never the Doc. himself. Am I expecting too much? Thanks for any > words of wisdom as I work my way through this transition. Kathy, we are all individuals with varying degrees of Parkinson's and as this neuro is so young he may have not seen others with foot cramps as part of their PD. My opinion on Drs. is that if you aren't totally comfortable and not feeling the necessary trust you should definitely seek a second opinion. I didn't care for my first neuro's attitude and switched. I don't regret it and would do the same thing in a heartbeat were the situation repeated. PD is long term and you need that comfort level so you can "partner" up with your medical team and devise a plan for managing every aspect of your PD in the most effective way possible. I don't have any medical background, I am a mechanic with PD. That said I also have a strong opinion that says be extremely vigilant for any sign of drug related side effects or negative reaction especially when there are multiple drugs involved. I personally believe the least amount of drugs that we require to maintain a basic normalacy is the best. I wish you and your mother all the very best............Murray [log in to unmask]