Top Treatments for Non-Motor Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease

The AAN (American Academy of Neurology) has put forth new-fangled parameters that outline what is stated as highly effectual therapies for tackling non-motor symptoms prevalent among individuals having Parkinson’s disease. They comprise of sleep problems, weariness, feeling constipated and sexual issues that the American Academy of Neurology state are most non- identified symptoms.

The AAN guidelines state that:

• Erectile dysfunction that commonly affects people with Parkinson’s disease could be treatable using the medication sildenafil citrate.
• Medication isosmotic macrogol would help allay constipation.
• Feeling excessively sleepy during day times could mostly be cured using the drug modafinil that assists individuals in feeling more wakeful.
• Weariness could be easily tackled with the intake of medication methylphenidate.

Even as the chief symptom of Parkinson’s disease is movement difficulty, there are several other symptoms to be watchful about inclusive of sleeping disorder, being constipated and urinary and sexual functioning issues.

The form and acuteness of symptoms felt by an individual with Parkinson’s disease would differ in every person and the staging of the disease. Symptoms which could arise in preliminary staging of the disease in one individual might not surface till quite late or be absent in another individual.

The most commonly experienced symptoms comprise of:

• Feeling tremors or shaking mostly in the hands, arms or legs and occurring while the individual is wakeful and seated or still on his/her feet (also known as resting tremors), subsiding when movement of the affected area of the body is done.
• Rigidness and aches in muscles. One of the commonly observed preliminary signs of this disease is diminished arm swings on either of the sides while the individual is taking a walk which occurs due to stiff muscles. Rigidness could additionally impinge upon areas of the body like leg, facial area, neck and other parts, eliciting tiredness and achiness in muscles.
• Gradual, restricted movements or bradykinesia, particularly when the individual makes an endeavour at moving from a rested posture. For example, it might be tough getting out of a seat or turning over in a mattress.
• Facial and throat muscle weakening which would make speaking and ingestion a problem and might cause choking, coughing or drooling. The verbal communication could become softer and with apparent monotony. Lost muscle movements in the facial area could be causal to a rigid, blank face expression, mostly known as ‘Parkinson’s mask’.
• Problems when trying to walk (gait problems) and balancing (posture unsteadiness). An affected individual would have a tendency of taking smaller steps and shuffling with feet closely placed to one another, slight bending forwards at the waistline (stooping pose) and have issues trying to turn about. Due to issues with balancing and bearing often such people suffer from falls. But such issues generally do not arise till quite late in the disease.
• Oiliness in skin or increase in dandruff.
• Lowered adroitness and co-ordination.
• Increase in perspiration, low blood pressure on standing up.

Tremor is frequently the foremost symptom among those having Parkinson’s disease and might surface in merely one of the arms, legs or solely on right or left side of the body. However, the tremor could additionally develop in the lip, tongue or chin. As the disease advances, the tremor might be felt in both sides; though in several cases the tremor would remain on merely one side.

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