People with Parkinson's disease (PD) commonly report that acute stress worsens their motor symptoms, such as freezing of gait, dyskinesia and tremor. People with PD also notice that chronic stress seems to worsen non-motor symptoms, particularly anxiety and depression.
Parkinson's symptoms and stress. Although tremor in particular tends to worsen when a person is anxious or under stress, all the symptoms of PD, including slowness, stiffness, and balance problems, can worsen. Symptoms, particularly tremor, can become less responsive to medication.
Kim Seroogy, PhD, said previous research from his team has shown that chronic stress can exacerbate Parkinson's disease and lead to degeneration of brain cells and motor functions at a faster rate.
Meditation, yoga or Tai Chi and deep breathing can help restore a sense of calm. Whether you are living with Parkinson's or caring for someone with PD, finding balance can help you cope with the daily stresses of life.
Anxiety disturbances are recognized as common psychiatric comorbidities in Parkinson's disease (PD) and contribute to significant impairments in areas of cognitive, functional, motor and social performance.
In general most Parkinson's Disease specialists use the same drugs used to treat depression, as most of these also treat anxiety. So, drugs like sertraline (Zoloft), fluoxetine (Prozac), citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro), mirtazapine (Remeron), are frequently used.
Healthy Eating and Regular Exercise: A Powerful Combo
Studies show targeted nutrition may slow Parkinson's advancement. Eating a whole-food, plant-based, Mediterranean-style diet — including fresh vegetables, fruit and berries, nuts, seeds, fish, olive and coconut oils and more — may be linked to slower PD progression.
However, since Parkinson's is a progressive condition, symptoms will worsen over time and new ones may appear. It may progress more quickly in people who are older when the symptoms first begin and less quickly when the main symptom is tremor, especially when it starts on one side.
Sudden deterioration in Parkinson's disease is frequently encountered in clinical practice. It usually occurs over several days or weeks, and the cause is most likely related to a symptom rather than progression of the condition.
Symptoms usually begin gradually and worsen over time. As the disease progresses, people may have difficulty walking and talking. They may also have mental and behavioral changes, sleep problems, depression, memory difficulties, and fatigue.
Some drugs, such as tranquilisers, anti-sickness and anti-dizziness medications, can make a Parkinson's tremor worse. Some anti-asthma drugs, antidepressants and anti-epileptic drugs could also make your tremor more noticeable.
A large number of epidemiological studies report an inverse, dose-responsive relationship between coffee/caffeine consumption and the risk of developing PD. Coffee consumption appears to reduce or delay the development of PD and caffeine is most likely the causal factor.
For many people, Parkinson's affects brain chemistry—hindering the body's ability to produce dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. These chemicals determine mood, energy, and motivation, leaving many in a state of depression, which can be treated, but is certainly a struggle to live with.
These nerve cells die or become impaired, losing the ability to produce an important chemical called dopamine. Studies have shown that symptoms of Parkinson's develop in patients with an 80 percent or greater loss of dopamine-producing cells in the substantia nigra.
How quickly they get worse varies substantially, perhaps because there may be multiple underlying causes of the disease. In most cases, symptoms change slowly, with substantive progression taking place over the space of many months or years.
Some studies have reported that the average time from onset of Parkinson's to developing dementia is about 10 years. One large study found that about three-quarters of people who live with Parkinson's for more than 10 years will develop dementia.
“Movement, especially exercises that encourage balance and reciprocal patterns [movements that require coordination of both sides of your body], can actually slow progression of the disease,” she says.
Biking, running, Tai Chi, yoga, Pilates, dance, weight training, non-contact boxing, qi gong and more are included — all have positive effects on PD symptoms.
It has been suggested that a higher intake of sugar might increase dopamine (DA) concentration in the brain. Hence, increased sugar consumption in patients with PD can be seen as a form of “self-treatment” [3,11].
The antidepressants with the most evidence for treating depression in Parkinson's disease include citalopram, sertraline, paroxetine, fluoxetine, venlafaxine, amitriptyline, nortriptyline, and desipramine (9–11) (see Table 2).
Newer classes of antidepressants, which have fewer side effects, are generally considered preferable for people with Parkinson's. SNRIs appear to be the safest medication for people with PD and depression, resulting in the fewest side effects, yet not always managing all PD symptoms.
Depression, apathy and withdrawal from things a person previously enjoyed are another frequent symptom. Anxiety and depression occur in about 40% to 50% of Parkinson's patients at one time or another over the course of the disease.