Early management - MAO-B vs Levodopa/Carbidopa
I have been doing extensive reading and research since I was recently diagnosed (including articles like https://www.uptodate.com/contents/parkinson-disease-treatment-options-medications-beyond-the-basics#H28 and https://bmcneurol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2377-11-112) before starting on medication. These have led me to the following questions.
This is my dilemma: the only symptom I currently have is an occasional mild tremor in my left hand. There is no present issue with quality of life. The main reason I contemplate medication at this stage (other than the benefits of starting medication early) is in order to control symptoms when I interact with colleagues.
My research suggests that MAO-B inhibitors rather than carbidopa/levodopa, may be worth considering as an initial protocol to begin medication while delaying the need for levodopa.
My doctor thinks levodopa has milder side-effects, and the results on MAO-B are inconclusive.
Has anyone experience in this?
Hi
while we wait on others to weigh in with their experiences, I included some information on MAO-B inhibitors here - https://parkinsonsdisease.net/medications/mao-b-inhibitors. You can also find information on Carbidopa/Levodopa here - https://parkinsonsdisease.net/medications/carbidopa-levodopa-therapy. Hoping you and your doctor can find a treatment option that works best for you. Wishing you well. Kindly, Jessica, Team Member My experience Carbidopa/Levodopa is that I didn’t have much relief from my tremor while on it. With the tremor being my only symptom I am aware of, I decided to stop taking it. I have found that the tremor is a little worse, but I’m weighing the side effects (sleepiness all day) vs the amount of help it provides. This will be a discussed I have when I go to the Movement Disorder Clinic at Duke next month. Hoping they can shed some light on it.
Let me add that I have tried propranolol and primadone for the tremor. Neither provided any relief.
