Parkinson’s disease progression is slow and medication can effectively manage disease symptoms with the right dosage.
Especially in the first few years, the goal of your treatment is to bring you back to the state you were in pre-diagnosis. Medication must then help you maintain a good quality of life and your daily routine.
You are your neurologist’s main partner in finding the right combination of drugs and dosages for you. Get the most out of your visit by clearly communicating your daily goals, how the symptoms of the disease affect you, how you respond to your medications during the day and your daily challenges.
Medication effectiveness can change with time. You can manage these fluctuations with the help of your neurologist and improve their effectiveness by changing some of your habits.
All medication available has one or more of the following effects:
The type of medication and dosage varies per person and depends on your condition and symptom progression. Do not try to compare them with others who have the disease.
It depends on your personal situation. It is not always necessary to consult a neurologist to address this often anxiety-provoking situation.
You can first talk to your pharmacist who is aware of such situations; sometimes the distributor is involved and in other scenarios, the company manufacturing the drug must temporarily stop production. If your pharmacist informs you that he/she cannot fill your prescription with the inventory in his/her pharmacy or at the distributor, you may wish to try to
Ask about the availability of the drug in another branch of the same banner or a different banner than the one you are currently using
Ask your pharmacist to contact your neurologist or movement disorder specialist so that an alternative can be prescribed.
When the medication becomes available again, it is important to discuss with your pharmacist whether it is better to continue your treatment with the alternative or with the original medication. The professional can revisit this issue with your neurologist or movement disorder specialist and inform you of the suggestions available.
