I take a beta blocker. Maybe I should switch...

Some blood pressure meds may reduce risk of Parkinson's:

CHICAGO (AFP) -- People taking a certain type of blood pressure medication called calcium channel blockers may also be lowering their risk of getting Parkinson's disease.

A study by Swiss researchers found that people who had been taking a calcium channel blocker medication for an extended period of time had a 23 percent lower risk of developing the incurable neurological disease than people not on this type of drug.

The researchers also assessed several other classes of blood pressure medications, such as ACE inhibitors, AT II antagonists and beta blockers, but none of those appeared to offer the protective effect of calcium channel blockers.

""Long-term use of calcium channel blockers was associated with a reduced risk of developing Parkinson's disease, while no such association was seen for other high blood pressure medications,"" said Christoph Meier, lead author of the paper and a researcher at University Hospital Basel in Switzerland.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/...n3799385.shtml