Brief Answer:
You should start treatment when symptoms will interfere with your quality of life, when you will have functional disabilities.
Based to your symptoms at the time of initiation of the therapy, and you age, the
neurologist will help you to make the right therapeutic choice.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thank you for using HCM. I understand your concern. As you have seen lots of neurologists, I will try to give you an internist point of view.
1- Regarding the time of initiation of the treatment and the type of treatment in
Parkinson disease there are not right and wrong choices, but appropriate choices based to the stage of the disease, the age of the patient and other preexisting diseases. It is recommended to start therapy when symptoms interfere with quality of life, when functional disabilities begin. As the Parkinson disease consists of a progressive, and irreversible loss of
dopamine sensitive brain cells, at one point of your disease development you will need to be treated , but the doctors goal is to delay treatment as much as your clinical situation allows it, in way to avoid drug- induced complications. Even though there is a trend toward initiating therapy at the time of the diagnosis or early on the course of the disease , because patients may have some disabilities at an early stage, and there is a possibility that early treatment may preserve beneficial compensatory mechanisms.
2- What therapy to initiate ?
Many experts favor starting with an MAO-B inhibitor in mildly affected patients because of the potential for a disease modifying effect.
Meanwhile, dopamine agonists can be used for younger patients, with functionally significant
disability to reduce the risk for motor complications (
involuntary movements known as dyskinesias).
And Levodopa for patients with more advanced disease, the ederly, or those with
cognitive impairment.
Combined therapy, is used in patients with motor complications.
Meanwhile exercise, education and support should be considered throughout the course of the disease.
Hope this is helpful.
Let me know if you need more clarifications. Otherwise please close and rate the answer.
Kind Regards,
Dr. Juarda