Therese,

Could you tell us what other medications Doreen is using?

Karl

for responding so quickly to my post. At the present time, Doreen is taking only Sinemet...3 1/2 tabs...25/100 daily. Tremor has been her only PD symptom throughout the 10+ years since diagnois, i.e., other than the medication-related side effect of dyskinesias. I will add that she is still titrating off the Cogentin brought about by the terrible cognitive side effects she had been experiencing with this medication. Cogentin had been prescribed precisely for the tremors...and it certainly "worked" extremely well in that she really had no tremor while taking the Cogentin. Now that she is taking 1/2 the dosage of this "med", the tremor has returned...not as badly as before the Cogentin...but, nevertheless, it has returned and we fully expect it to be more enhanced once she eliminates Cogentin completely; thus, the need to find something specifically geared to controlling tremors. Thank you again, Kari, for your prompt response.

Therese

Hi Therese and Doreen,
I’m going to stay in the background for now until you’ve heard from everyone else – then I have some ideas. Regards, Guy

Artane, trihexyphenidyl, is an old drug that my mother used for years to pretty effectively control her PD tremor. Check it out on Google.
Robert

Robert and Guy...

Robert...I am aware of Artane, but it is in the same class of drugs (Anticholinergic) as Cogentin...the "med" that seems to have been the "culprit" in Doreen's recent "battle" with cognitive behavior. I realize, though, that this does not necessarily mean that it would cause the same very adverse side effects as did the Cogentin. I'm just recalling that Doreen did take Artane at one time (for a very short time), but, for some reason...and I'm sure it was not related to the adverse cognitive side effects...I would definitely remember that...but it just must have caused some kind of undesirable side effect at the time. This was prescribed by another neurologist...not the one she is seeing now. At any rate, Robert, I thank you for responding...may even ask Doreen's neurologist about Artane when we speak with him...thanks, again...

and Guy...I will anxiously await your response...you have definitely piqued my curiosity....thank you for responding, Guy....

Therese

dear therese,
there is an excellent reason to remove stress from the equation of life...
joy, + calm + alternative thought -minus -" the illness" equal's a much better quality of life.

tell her the best advice I was given was by a man with PD who is past away -

" everyday - pretend as much as it is possible - that you do not have PD"
quote -James Vidamour

The message..."everyday pretend as much as possible...that you don'thave PD"...excellent in that it is "in sync" with "mind over matter" more or less..."in sync", too, with how the mind really "works"...either to negatively or positively impact on our lives...it makes all the sense in the world...just a matter of discipline, really, but most probably, easier said than done. How much better it would/could be if one could eliminate the "demon drugs" and replace them with this very positive philosophy. It is quite evident with Doreen that when she is absorbed in her work, she is much less conscious of having PD. I can ask her at the end of the day if she had much tremor...much dyskinesia...and many times, she is able to say that she really hadn't noticed because she had been so busy. Her tremor is most noticeable if/when it "acts up" while she is assisting her doctor with specific medical procedures...then, it becomes a problem for her...not particularly for her doctor...but for Doreen who then feels that she is hindering him...a burden to him rather than a help. I just hope that there IS a "med" out there that can help her specifically at these times. This in conjunction with trying to adhere to the advice of the pwp who said: "everyday pretend as much as possible that you don't have PD" would seem to be a very real solution.

Thank you, again, Tena...very sage advice..thank you.

Therese