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PD and Colonoscopy preparation, something to be aware of.

I wanted to pass along my experience this week regarding having PD and preparing for a Colonoscopy.

This is obviously a case study of one, and may not apply across the board, but I feel it's information worth passing along.

I'm a 71YO male and was diagnosed w/ PD eight months ago. I'm on Sinemet 50/200 @ 3x day. I was scheduled for my 10 year Colonoscopy this week.

I had completed the bowel prep exactly as specified in the instructions from my Doctors office. From what I could tell, I should have been clean enough for the Colonoscopy to be carried out; unfortunately, it wasn't.

The doctor informed me (post procedure) that he could not complete the exam because I was not clean enough.

He was aware of my PD prior to the procedure, and he asked me then if I had any of the PD related constipation issues. I replied that I did for short periods and then my gut went in the other direction for a while before swinging back toward constipation in a somewhat cyclical fashion.

I think we both came to the same conclusion, in that... the well-known issues with PD and constipation (i.e. smooth muscle involvement) meant that the STANDARD bowl prep given to most patients was not sufficient for a person with PD.

The Doctor advised me that he was going to reschedule my exam for some months down the road and prescribe a more thorough bowel prep regimen in order to ensure the Colonoscopy could be completed.

Thus, I would suggest that if you have PD and also plan on a Colonoscopy, that you discuss this at length with your Doctor to see if you may need to take extra measures for your bowel preparation.

  1. Thank you for sharing your story with us. I have a similar situation with swinging between constipation and diarrhea and it is helpful to know that further preparation may be needed before my next colonoscopy. I am sure others will appreciate this information as well.Best regards, Thea DeStephano Community Team Leader

    1. my daughter works in health care. She recommends eating a very high fiber diet for a week before the colonoscopy. Just an idea.

    2. Thanks for the valuable information, it certainly makes sense given the overall goal! We are all here to share and support one another. I appreciate your taking the time to do so. Thea DeStephano Community Team Member

  2. This is such important information for everyone to be aware of.Thank you for passing this information on. Knowledge is power!mThea

    1. I'm a 59yo woman who's had PD and Crohn's disease for 26+ years. Because of the Crohn's, I've not had much constipation, but I have had a lot of colonoscopies. Only in the past 5years have I had any complaints from my gastroenterologists about not getting cleaned out enough. for my last one, about 18 mos. ago, he made me do 2 full rounds of prep, and still he said there was considerable stool remaining. Also, despite my repeated requests that he speak to ME, not to my home health aide, he insisted on giving the post-procedure oral report to my husband. So I switched doctors, citing my reasons,


      1. I hope your new doctor is more receptive to your requests! Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us.
        Well wishes,
        Christina, ParkinsonsDisease.net Team

    2. Same thing happened to my husband. Put him under and couldn’t continue. Haven’t gone back due to pd progressing. Thanks for the heads up.🤗

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