I've been on artane for over a year it stopped working. My neurologist added sinemet but kept me on the artane. He tells me I have symptoms of parkinsons but my tremors has made it difficult to give that final diagnosis. It's been over two years now that I've been trying to get the right diagnosis. Is this normal?
PD, ALS symptoms are surprisingly similar and that alone can make the diagnosis difficult…the correct diagnosis is important for the correct treatment and getting that diagnosis ain’t easy
My husband was diagnosed over the phone. In his case, the symptoms were pretty obvious and definitely fit Parkinson's. He also responded well to c/l.
When the neurologist finally saw him in person, on our third appointment, she confirmed what we all knew.
If you have some Parkinson's symptoms but don't respond to the Sinemet and your DaT scan was not conclusive, it is not as easy. There are several diseases that are similar to PD but don't have the same response to carbidopa. I know there are a few people here who are in the same situation. All the doctors can do is try medications and see what works and what doesn't.
Have you had a dat scan? That will tells
You should see if you can find a movement specialist.
It took about 3 years for me to get the right diagnosis. My GP thought I'd had a stroke, then the nerve test said I had a pinched nerve in my neck. Glad we found that though, because I had deteriorating discs between 4 of my cervical vertebrae and my spinal cord was pinched off. Got the neck fixed, started seeing a neurologist for a year of trying all kinds of meds. She never diagnosed me, so I sent my records to Vanderbilt's Movement Disorders Clinic. They accepted my case and diagnosed me on my first visit. I really think because PD is so varied with so many different symptoms, they just have to rule out everything else.
Blessings, Karen