My Dad keeps passing out.

Hi folks

I don’t usually post in this forum but I’m a mod over in the anxiety forum.

My dad has advanced Parkinson’s and over the last couple of years he has had episodes were he passes out and we have to get him lying down with his feet raised. Recently it has become much more frequent and it is becoming debilitating as he has become anxious about leaving the house in case he has one of these passing out episodes.

We have raised these issues with his GP who contacted his Consultant and they thought it could be related to his Parkinson’s medication that he takes so he was asked to cut back on some which the consultant felt can cause low blood pressure as a side effect and also sent him to have an ECG to check we had not missed a heart problem (this came back fine).

He is still having these episodes and I was wondering if anyone here could offer any insight?

Hibee
I try not to worry about the future -- so I take each day just one anxiety attack at a time.

ANXIETY & PANIC FORUM MODERATOR

Diagnosed with:- Asperger's Syndrome, Dyslexia, GAD, Social Anxiety Disorder, Health Anxiety, OCD, Depression and Scheuermann's Disease (Adult)

Medications:- 60mg Prozac, Olanzapine 15mg,Valium 5mg, Dihydrocodeine 180mg per day

Welcome to the :PD Support Group. I'm sorry it took so long for me to get here. I was having issues logging in.

Sorry your Father is having issues. There definitely are PD medications that can cause low blood pressure. You might get a list of your Father's medications and do a little research of your own.

And who is the invisible 'consultant'? What are his/her qualifications? I would recommend looking for a doctor who is more educated on PD. That would be a general neurologist. Or preferably a neuro that specializes in movement disorders such as PD would be the best. That doctor is called a Movement Disorder Specialist or MDS. They are worth the wait for an appointment and the drive.

lizzy4451


Parkinson's Disease Moderator:
carbidopa/levodopa 25/100 CR 4 a day, ), Amantadine 100 mg 3 a day, Ropinirole ER 8 mg 3 a day

Life is a dance. Don't sit it out.
---- Jackson H. Brown
Thanks lizzy

I will have a look into wether there is a MDS in our area as his consultant does not seem to be good and will also do some research into his medications.

I was also wondering if anyone know about Korean Ginseng and it’s benefits for people with Parkinson’s? I’ve read a few reports now that say it’s really beneficial but I’m not sure if it mixes well with other medications?

Thanks again.

Hibee
I try not to worry about the future -- so I take each day just one anxiety attack at a time.

ANXIETY & PANIC FORUM MODERATOR

Diagnosed with:- Asperger's Syndrome, Dyslexia, GAD, Social Anxiety Disorder, Health Anxiety, OCD, Depression and Scheuermann's Disease (Adult)

Medications:- 60mg Prozac, Olanzapine 15mg,Valium 5mg, Dihydrocodeine 180mg per day
Hibee, I have not heard of Korean Ginseng. Hopefully someone who is familiar with it will respond.

Thanks for posting.
lizzy4451

Parkinson's Disease Moderator:
carbidopa/levodopa 25/100 CR 4 a day, ), Amantadine 100 mg 3 a day, Ropinirole ER 8 mg 3 a day

Life is a dance. Don't sit it out.
---- Jackson H. Brown
My wife had a terrible time passing out, often 3 or 4 times a day. Trying to find someone who specializes in low blood pressure is tough, most deal with high pressure. It took a while to find something that works:

Our cure was, 10mg midodrine 3 times a day and .05mg fludrocortisone once a day.
She wears and abdominal band and compression socks.

She has fainted once in the last month and a half.

We would still like to fine tune the cure, if you find a better option let me know.