What's new in controlling Parkinson's tremors?

[passing thru]

I have a neighbor who is having lotsa problems with her tremors. She is 72. What meds are you all seeing ordered for Parkinsons??

[Aneroo, LPN]

Not a med, but a newer experimental tx I saw. We were able to sit in on an MD's conference on it. IN previous times, they've made lesions on the brain to control some of the Parkinsonian effects. They now have a device similar to an ICD. It's implanted into the brain, with a power/battery pack attached by wires to the pack inserted into the chest. It provides a small dose of energy that controls the tremors. Most of the clients were able to significantly lower the dosage of their medication after receiving this treatment. I asked later, and there was a very low risk of the pack becoming dislodged from the wires (said he knew of one case, and that was where the patient took back his hobby of kickboxing). Also, I asked if the pt has or needs an ICD, if it would interfere with either product. He said the bettery pack thingie on the one for the brain does not have to be implanted into the chest, but can be inserted over the skull.

We all found the study to be interesting. The MD's brought videos of before and after. It was amazing! They would turn off the device, and the patient would start to have tremors again. Truely amazing! -Andrea