Five Common Complications Often Caused By Parkinsons

As if the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease is not enough, it is also accompanied by a variety of complications. Some of these problems can be overcome by changing lifestyle habits but others may require the guidance of a doctor or therapist to help cope with them. Not all of these complications can be solved with a shot or pill so expect there to be some frustration as they develop and solutions try to be garnered.

Depression

Sometimes, people develop depression before Parkinson’s disease is diagnosed. The disease affects chemical production in the brain and this includes serotonin and norepinephrine, two chemicals that are associated with depression. When these levels are low or fluctuate on a continuing basis, this can affect mood.

Chewing and Swallowing

As Parkinson’s disease progresses, so does the sluggish movements, limb rigidity and hindered progress of other muscles, including those used in conjunction with the autonomic nervous system. In other words, involuntary movements such as swallowing saliva (and thus food) can be a problem. Chewing can be particularly tough later in the disease thereby requiring softer foods that are easier to get down.

Sexual problems

Decrease in libido is a detrimental side effect to Parkinson’s disease as this can affect personal relationships with a partner or spouse. This loss of sexual desire can be attributed to both mental and physical factors. Depression and chemical imbalances can happen in the brain, causing a decrease in sex. Physically, motor coordination becomes a problem later in the disease as does limb rigidity and the ability to control certain movements.

Sleep problems

Insomnia can occur at night with Parkinson’s patients as well as fits of daytime sleeping and drowsiness. During the night, patients may not be able to fall asleep or if they do, sleep is punctuated by nightmares, uncomfortable feelings in the limbs (such as restless legs syndrome), acting out while dreaming and more.

Body elimination

Bowel and urinary elimination can also be punctuated with problems due to Parkinson’s. Just like with chewing and swallowing, body elimination is a function of the autonomic nervous system, not something consciously thought about but the body performs on its own such as digestion and the creation of fecal and urine matter. The only control a person has is over the different sphincter muscles that are employed to hold in body elimination until a person can get to the bathroom.

It is these sphincter muscles that can be affected. Sometimes, they relax too much causing bladder or bowel incontinence while other times, they are hard to relax so a person has trouble eliminating at all. Constipation is a problem because Parkinson’s can slow digestion and cause the stomach not to empty properly into the intestines. Disease medications can contribute to both urinary and bowel incontinence.

Certain Parkinson’s medications can cause problems with a number of other issues as well. Blood pressure may fluctuate as well as overall drowsiness. Twitching and jerking may occur as well as hallucinations, dry mouth and more. Because each person’s body chemistry is different, there is no way to predict how someone will react to medication, so it is important to be prepared to experiment until the right combination of drugs works positively on symptoms.