Samantha,

You are on a lot of drugs already, for a girl who has no clear diagnosis yet. All of these drugs will put a strain on your liver and kidneys which is not going to make you feel particularly well. A cocktail of drugs like this could well affect your ability to move normally. Therefore the usual clinical tests looking for signs of 'cogwheeling rigidity' will not be so indicative of Parkinsons in that context as there are too many things clouding the interpretation.

Many neurologists disagree with giving a trial period of l-dopa as a means of diagnosing Parkinsons since some with PD don't respond well to the drug. And conversely, some who are ultimately thought not to have PD may show a difference in ways that are not judged diagnostically helpful. L-dopa will alter your physiology. Worst of all, there is an argument that taking l-dopa can worsen anybody's dopamine production through 'feedback inhibition' - your body shuts down its natural dopa production because the system is being by-passed.

Over the longterm, if you really have PD it will become very evident, provided you don't cloud the situation with a confusing array of drugs altering your physiology. And this new drug being suggested to you is in the category of drugs called anti-cholinergics. If you are already experiencing memory problems, be alert to the fact that this category of drug has a reputation for worsening memory.

In the meantime, you have troublesome symptoms to cope with. I think anyone who becomes seriously ill should examine every area of their life to see if improvements could be brought to bear on it, with the goal of restoring balance or homeostasis. I would ask myself the following questions:

Am i eating a balanced diet?
Am i exercising enough?
Do i get about 8 hours sleep at night?
Am i drinking too much caffeine [coffee or soft drinks]?
Am i involved in a healthy relationship or one that i am very conflicted about?
Is there anything unusually stressful in my life that i need to face up to and deal with?
Am i having problems at work or school?

You don't have to bring your answers here; these are very personal questions for a public forum. But they may guide you to areas of your life that you need to address. A consultation with a nutritionist might also be fruitful. Has anybody suggested this to you?