Diagnosis & Treatment of Parkinson's Disease: Take Control Of Change

Expect change, anticipate it and manage it.

One of the biggest challenges in treating and fighting Parkinson’s disease is that the symptoms and response to treatment change over time. Your PD is constantly (but slowly) changing and therefore we must expect that the treatment must change overtime as well. If we don’t expect change, then we are blind-sighted by change and don’t adjust until the symptoms are out of control. If we don’t expect change then we are discouraged when a regimen that was working doesn’t work as well.

When we anticipate it, we look for changes. For example, is a medication not working as well as it used to, or is it working but not for quite as many hours at a time? When this happens, and it is brought to the attention of your doctor, we can manage it. We can adjust the medications to fit the new changes and take control of the PD once again.

Thus, when we expect, anticipate and manage changes in PD, the worry fades away. You and your supporting family members and friends are not taken by surprise, and you are able to respond to change with agility and remain in control.