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Permanent Parkinsonism or something else?

Not sure where to post this. A couple of years ago I noticed a weakness in my right hand and a gradually worsening limp (I was 48 at the time). After a number of MRIs to rule out the benign tumors on my spine and an EMG/NCV, when the mention of ALS was proposed, I ended up seeing my neurologist who diagnosed me with drug induced Parkinsonism. He estimated 12 months to recovery.

His diagnosis was based on a number of factors. Reduced arm swing, reduced blink rate, some cogwheeling and slowness of movement on my right hand and leg and foot drop.

I’ve been off the medication for 14 months now. There was initially some improvement but this has stalled over the past 6 months.

Lately I’ve had a number of bouts of urinary urgency (resulting in a couple of accidents). I’ve also noticed RLS in my left foot and the toes on my right foot will scrunch up and sometimes I have to use my hand to unscrunch them. No significant tremors, although the ring finger on my right hand does twitch sometimes . It also sometimes takes effort to slowly lift my right hand off my desk, this does not happen when I focus on it. Finally I should add that my sense of smell sucks and has been that way for over a decade. I also have anxiety and mild depression.

The symptoms are not really life impacting at the moment and sometimes I feel like my mind is playing tricks on me.

Is this normal for drug induced Parkinsonism or should I write an email to my neurologist?

  1. I am so sorry to hear you are going through this. For your safety, we cannot offer medical advice via the internet. I think it is a great idea to reach out to your neurologist about the symptoms you are experiencing. I truly hope you and your doctor can get to the root cause of your symptoms. Wishing you well. -Jessica, Parkinsonsdisease.net Team Member

    1. Thank you for your comment, nhpip. If you have not already done so, I would make an in-person appointment with your movement disorder neurologist to discuss your concerns. He/She will be better able to discuss your issues by evaluating you in person. Best, Marc M., Moderator, parkinsonsdisase.net

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