Exploring Treatment Options for Parkinson’s Disease

This article is for people with Parkinson’s disease and anyone else who wants to know about medicine options for Parkinson’s. The goal of this activity is to help you learn about medicines for Parkinson’s, including the different ways to take them and how to work with your doctor on a treatment plan.

You will learn about:

• What Parkinson’s disease is and its causes

• Medicines for Parkinson’s and how they work

• How different medicines for Parkinson’s are taken

• Working with your doctor on a treatment plan

• Helpful questions to ask your doctor

Parkinson’s disease happens when nerve cells in a part of your brain called the substantia nigra die or become damaged. This leads to lower levels of dopamine, which is a chemical in your brain. Dopamine helps control how and when your body moves, as well as how you think and feel.

No one knows exactly what causes Parkinson’s, but it is thought to involve changes to the brain that happen as people age, genetic factors, and things in the environment.

Parkinson’s disease gets worse over time as the brain damage grows. It mainly affects how you move, but symptoms are different for everyone.

Physical (motor) symptoms can include:

• Moving slowly

• Shaking

• Stiffness

• Trouble keeping your balance

• Problems with blood pressure, using the bathroom, or having sex

Emotional (non-motor) symptoms can include:

• Issues with thinking

• Mood changes

• Sleep problems

• Changes in speech

The goal of treatments for Parkinson’s is to make symptoms easier to handle, improve your quality of life, and help you move better. Some treatment options include:

• Medicines for increasing dopamine in the brain or making the brain use dopamine better

• Physical therapy and occupational therapy to help with everyday tasks

• Surgery, such as deep brain stimulation, where a device is put in your brain to help control movement problems

• Making healthy choices like exercising and eating well

• Being part of a clinical trial, which is a study that tests new ways of treating Parkinson’s

These treatments don’t cure Parkinson’s, but they can help make symptoms better.

Different medicines for Parkinson’s do different things, and can:

• Get your brain to make more dopamine

• Act like dopamine

• Block or reduce your body’s way of breaking down dopamine

• Make other Parkinson’s medicines last longer

• Change the way your body uses adenosine, a molecule in your body

You may need more than one medicine to help with your dopamine levels. Your doctor may recommend other medicines to help with emotional symptoms.

Parkinson’s medicines can come as pills, patches, or through needles.

Pills Pills can be good for the early stages Parkinson's because they are easy to take	• Taken by mouth • You can swallow some pills right away, others need to dissolve in your mouth before you swallow them • Your stomach absorbs the medicine • Works in less than an hour
Patches Patches can be good for later stages of Parkinson's, or if you have trouble swallowing pills	• You put them on your skin • You wear one through the day and change it daily • The medicine goes through your skin into your bloodstream, but may take up to a few weeks to fully work
Needles Needles can be good far into the late stages of Parkinson's, or if you can't take medicine by mouth anymore	• You put a needle into your muscles or skin • The medicine reaches your bloodstream from there • Works fast, even in less than 30 minutes

All medicines have side effects, and your doctor can tell you about the different side effects of treatment and ways to manage them.

It’s important to tell your doctor what you hope to get out of treatment and which type of treatment you think would fit best into your daily routine.

When taking medicine at home, your doctor will give you information on when and how to take it. It’s important to always follow your doctor’s instructions on how to take your medicine.

If you experience side effects or feel like your treatment isn't working well, talk to your doctor. Because Parkinson’s gets worse over time, you may need to adjust your medication, try a new one, or try other treatment options.

Questions you can ask your doctor include:

• What are my treatment choices?

• How do the different ways of taking Parkinson’s medicine (needle, patch, pill,) work differently?

• How can I make sure I take my medicine when I’m supposed to?

• What does it mean to have a different form of medicine?

• How will I know if it’s working?

• What if I need to change medicines?

• What are the possible side effects of the medicine I’m taking?

Congratulations!

You have successfully completed the program Exploring Treatment Approaches for Parkinson’s Disease.

View Additional Materials on this topic that you may find useful:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/parkinsons-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20376055

https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/parkinsons-disease