This is the thought from Jeff's doc, who checked him today because of an increase in his myoclonic jerking. (To the point of making him unstable. He seems to want to stand a lot, and the violence of the jerks put him at pretty good risk of falling.)
So, he wants to try some Sinemet for a week or so, and see if that settles things down.
emily, it is my understanding that it is not uncommon for dementia patients to have a secondary dx of parkinsons. A friend of mine whose husband also had FTD was subsequently dx'd with parkinsons. Hope the new med will help settle things down.
Emily, my guy also was dx'd wtih Parkinson's in addition to his AD. He now takes Sinemet. Started with one pill, then up to 4 throughout the day, as it affects everyone differently as with any med. Might be the stage he is in, but I really saw no change as a result. He, however thought it made him feel better?? My guy was taking it mostly because he is so stiff and needs to loosen up to move around. Not much shaking other than arms and one leg. I think it is a least something you can stop without problems, if it doesn't help. Best of luck to you.
The doc did make the point that he wasn't calling this Parkinson's per se, but rather Parkinsonism, in that neurological damage can cause some Parkinson-like symptoms without that actually being a diagnosis. Although that's all sort of semantic. If the med helps, it helps.
Parkinson's vs. Parkinsonian can be an important difference. It is damage to the same part of the brain but medications might differ (I'm no expert). Parkinson's refers to a particular mechanism that causes the damage and I think there is medicine to help slow down that mechanism. My wife has shown minor Parkinsonian symptoms but they have improved and might even have been a side effect of a medication that she no longer takes. I suspect that part of the problem is her FTD.
Paul had Parkenism with both AD and Alzheimer - final diagnosis. He could not take the Parkenson meds. He had gentle twitching for years - mostly muscle twitching but not the jerking twisting. He had the "mask" and "walk".
emily my DH has had the myoclonus for years as well. but no diagnosis of parkensonism. if the sinemet doesnt do much or too many side effects some of us have found the neurontin works well to control them. and has a miriad of dosings from minute to large. divvi
There is no medication that slows Parkinson's, but for some people Sinemet can help the stiffness and/or tremor a lot, though it sometimes requires high doses . In other cases it does nothing or makes hallucinations worse (the other Parkinson's medications are even more problematic in their psychological effects). In your case, Emily, I would ask if the Parkinson's symptoms could be a result of medication, as some antipsychotics can cause them. Dopamine is a really tricky neurotransmitter.
That is a possibility Pam. One of the reasons Zyprexa was ruled out when Jeff was getting his meds adjusted was that it seriously exacerbated the myoclonus. He was having it before, but the Zyprexa really sent it out of control. Recently the jerks have been increasing without a change in meds, so chances are it's just progression, but it's hard to be sure about anything. Still, he continues to progress fairly rapidly, and is becoming less and less aware. Quality of life, at this point, is comfort and food, and that's about it.
Early in his journey, a Neurologist thought my DH had Parkinson's and gave him Sinemet. It made him so sick... and he developed terrible vertigo. The Neurologist said that was a positive sign that he did NOT have Parkinson's. If the drugs caused those symptoms, he did not have Parkinson's, but simply demonstrated Parkinsonism traits. Shuffling feet, head down when walking, etc. That never changed as AD progressed.
Within hours after his arrival at alf, H was seen by a palliative care geriatric physician. It was the first time he had been seen by a specialist in geriatrics. (Actually I think all the docs associated with the alf were geriatric specialists.)
One of the first questions the doc asked me was if H had a dx of "parkinsonism-dementia complex". He did not and the doc gave me a brief explanation. So, of course the moment I got home I started looking on the internet and found what the posters here have already said.
H had many of its symptoms. It was that day that I learned about the mask and the stare and that was something that the hospice people picked up on when he was examined and admitted to hospice which was within the next day or two. The doc who initially brought it up made it clear that he was talking about Parkinsonism and not Parkinson's, so I didn't really spend any time looking at PD.
The med he was considering was not sinemet, but neurontin. However, he was also considering respiradol for H behavioral agitation. In addition, H was on keppra, baclofen, lorazpam and ambien. The generic aricept was discontinued at the hospital. If I remember correctly, the doc wanted to look into more information. I think he mentioned that neurontin and baclofen had some of the same effects. In any case he did not want to introduce two different meds at the same time.