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Autonomic Nervous System Dysfunction
Has any one been diagnosed with this disorder? Parkinson’s can cause this. It is difficult to diagnose and more difficult to treat says the literature. I have been having issues with labile blood pressure. It will spike starting in the evening hours and return to normal most day time hours. I take Sinemet 3 x a day and I think this is keeping the BP at normal levels during the day. I am trying BP meds but haven’t found a good one. If you have this disorder have you found a doctor proficient in treating?
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8 Replies
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Hi Susan…autonomic dysfunction can occur as a symptom of Parkinson’s Disease, can pre-date the onset of Parkinson’s or can be a stand-alone illness. I have been diagnosed with Pure Autonomic Failure without Supine Hypertension. My BP does not go up when I lie down to sleep but my BP is very very low without an increase in my heart rate during the daytime hours predisposing me to dizziness and fainting. If you have not yet, please discuss this with your Parkinson’s Neurologist as well as your Primary Care Doctor. My best treatment has been at Vanderbilt University Autonomic Dysfunction Center in Nashville, TN. (615) 322-2318 There may be a center closer to your home…your doctors should be able to guide you. I have participated in several research studies conducted by Vanderbilt’s Drs. Okamoto and Biaggionni. You may want to google their names and take a look at some of their publications. Hope this was helpful.
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Yes, and for me this is possibly the worst part of PD. I have young onset (I’m now 55), but my mom also has PD and my biological father had it prior to his death a few years ago. He was exposed to agent orange and it’s possible he passed it to me and my mom (I have four older sisters who are healthy, but I was either a newborn or not yet born). My ANS causes severe overheating. I travel with handheld fans, extra clothes, and a towel, plus antiperspirant, everywhere I go. Including across town to visit my kids. My BP is crazy high then low. I sweat horribly. I’m in almost constant pain. I hate it and would rather deal with my tremors than this. Haven’t found anything that helps so far. I’m sorry for you to also have to deal with this!
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I can relate to the struggles with Autonomic Nervous System Dysfunction. I think it’s essential to work closely with a neurologist and primary care doctor to find the right treatment plan. Has anyone tried any alternative therapies like acupuncture or meditation to help manage their symptoms?
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First of all keep a record of you blood pressures to show numbers to Dr.I take Metroprolol now 2x a day. Morning bp is ok but by evening can go up to 200/100. I can take the second dose only if I need it. So many meds out there to fix your problem. Your Dr has to have a record of your readings but purchase a good BP machine.
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My wife’s BP was swinging from one extreme to the other and our PCP kept insisting on her getting on BP meds to lower it. Fortunately my wife’s PT was very knowledgeable in PD and advised us not to do anything until we discussed it with the neurologist (and even notified the neurologist office that we needed to get in to see her earlier than our scheduled appointment). End result was the neurologist monitoring my wife’s BP and telling our PCP that she (the neurologist) would take over regarding the BP. Still swings but not as much as it used to.
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I for the past 6-7 months, have been experiencing low blood pressure. I was diagnosed with PD 3 years ago at 60yo. I monitor my BP multiple times daily and they are all confusing. When I wake up in the morning I would have BP of 135/88. Two hours later, after taking the 1st dose of Sinemet, it would plunge to 85/68. I passed out once when the BP machine could not read my BP.
I’ve had low readings of 80/58, 83/57 while being conscious and lucid I’ve mentioned this to my PCP and Neurologist and they referred me to a cardiologist, who tested and found heart normal and functioning fine. My question to the good people on these forums is – could this bpp swing be caused by the Sinemet? Just curious. Is anybody not taking Sinemet but experiencing low BP?
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I can definitely sympathize with you. While I was on heart medication and eating extremely healthy my BP dropped so low my heart stopped! Fortunately the paramedics kept doing CPR and got it restarted.
So when my wife was diagnosed with PD and her BP started swinging we did considerable research into the causes. While I am no expert, our research revealed it is one of the many effects of the PD itself, and not related to the Sinemet, and is most likely controlled (to some extent) by it.
My wife is now on an antidepressant, which ironically, now causes her BP to spike, with less frequent sudden drops.
I would suggest you speak with your neurologist about it to better understand what is happening.
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I was diagnosed with PD almost 15 years ago. I also have a history of high blood pressure, and I am under the care of a cardiologist. I had never heard of this condition, but about five years ago my heart rate started to go very low on occasion. Luckily I was wearing a heart monitor when my heart briefly stopped. My cardiologist had a pacemaker implanted, and that has taken care of the condition beautifully.
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