Panic Attacks
Hello. My father (72) was diagnosed with Parkinson's a little over a year ago. It began as tremors but has progressed into the non-motor symptoms side very quickly.
Over the past ~6 months he's been dealing with daily panic/anxiety attacks. These manifest as heavy breathing with extreme worry, crying, mood swings. Thus far the solution has been focused on medication (what he's taking is below).
Anyone dealt with this? We're trying to get him into Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. We've been working on his medication cocktail. Nothing is working. HELP!
Carbidopa - Levodopa
Amantadine
Buspirone
Omeprazole
Citracal
Clonazepam
Quetiapine
Pravastatin
Lexapro
It sounds as if you are certainly dealing with a lot. Are you working in conjunction with a movement disorder specialist? Perhaps a referral to a counselor or therapist might be helpful. We cannot offer medical advice on this site but want to offer any assistance possible. Please consult your medical team for the best advice.
Let us know how things are going for you. We care. Thea DeStephano Community Team MemberThanks,
! Yes, he has a movement disorder specialist and a Psychiatrist. The Psychiatrist focuses on the meds which is good but has yet to be helpful.
I guess I was hoping someone had seen similar symptoms and found an "aha!" solution that may not be obvious to us. Reading the forum, some interesting things around "down times" tied to the Carbidopa - Levodopa (he's on Busipirone to help combat that).
Working on getting him into CBT and getting his exercise up as the answer can't lie entirely within the meds!
thanks again.
Steve I hope you find a satisfactory solution soon. It has been my personal experience that medications are not the whole answer. Please share anything you may learn as we are all here to help one another. Thea
How are things going with your dad? I hope you are getting closer to a satisfactory solution that’s making your days more manageable. Please let us know how things are going for your family. Best wishes for happy holidays. Thea
