[Webinar Recording] YOPD Council: Medications, Side Effects, and Parkinson’s

YOPD

One of the things that nobody ever tells you when you get a Parkinson’s diagnosis is how much of your time will be spent managing medications, adhering to schedules, and tracking side effects and symptoms. Hint: It’s a lot. During this session, our Council discussed:

  • How they arrived at the best medication treatment for their situation
  • Good and the bad medication stories and what they learned from them
  • The role they play in getting the care they need
  • How they manage side effects and when to know when medication is doing more harm than good
  • Ways to reduce the number of pills you have to take every day
  • And much more

You can watch the video below.

To download the audio, click here.

To download the transcript, click here.

Show Notes

  • Just as Parkinson's is different for everyone, so are Parkinson's treatments and medication regimens. What works for someone else may not be the best regimen for you, so work closely with your provider as you determine your ideal balance of treatments
  • Take a holistic approach to treating your Parkinson's. Medications are important, but so are exercise, stress relief, and complementary therapies
  • Drink water, and try not to eat food (especially protein) when you take your carbidopa/levodopa. This is key to longer, more consistent ON times
  • Insurance and formularies change and can be complicated, so do some research to determine how your coverage works
  • For many people, dopamine agonists can cause Impulse Control Disorders. If this is true for you and you and your provider decide to switch to another medication, be sure you work with them to slowly decrease the dose so you do not experience withdrawal side effects, such as significant depression
  • Make sure you stay in constant communication with your doctors and pharmacists about all the medications you are taking, whether they are to treat your Parkinson's or not. Some drugs are contraindicated with many Parkinson's medications
  • You are the person who knows best how medications are and are not working for you. Advocate for yourself during appointments and make sure your care team understands your most impactful symptoms and how your medications are affecting you

WANT more advice from our yopd council?

You can register for the entire YOPD Council series here, as well as catch up on recent conversations. We meet on the third Thursday of every month to discuss the unique challenges of living with YOPD.

Coming in February - YOPD Women Webinar Series

Women diagnosed with YOPD face decidedly different challenges than do YOPD men. In general, women and men diagnosed with Parkinson’s experience differences when it comes to presenting symptoms, sleep problems, cognitive impact, responses to surgery, medication side effects, emotional health, and the care partner experience. But, when a woman is diagnosed with YOPD, you can add challenges related to contraception, pregnancy, menstruation, menopause, hormones, body image, aging, and more, to their plate.  

We’re here to help everyone on this unique journey. During our monthly YOPD Women sessions, we’ll address all of those topics with the help of doctors, specialists, and our YOPD Women Council leaders, Gaynor, Kat, Heather, Soania, and others. Register today and join us for these lively, interactive, and truth-telling monthly sessions, held on the first Wednesday of every month beginning February 3, 2021. 

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