Dizziness

[Marlene]

Yes, I am dizzy most of the time. I was diagnosed in 2011, and I take meds for a number of other conditions besides PD. A number of those meds can cause dizziness, and dizziness is one of the many symptoms of PD. I’ve decided it’s a hopeless cause to try to get rid of the dizziness. I just go about my life a bit more slowly and carefully than I might have done before and try to ignore the dizziness as much as I can.

[Tina]

My husband also suffers from dizziness caused by the orthostatic hypotension and takes Midodrine. What helps him is support stockings that he wears everyday but even better is a belly band. We found it’s the best device out there for helping with the dizziness. You can order on Amazon or ask your neurologist about one.

[Roy]

My husband was diagnosed with Orthostatic Hypotension a few years before he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. It remains in the top 5 difficulties he experiences. There are many days when the entire morning is shot because he can’t stand up and walk without getting dizzy. This then progresses to visual perception issues, severe tremors, and eventually, his legs give out and he falls. As if that isn’t enough, he then has a staring seizure. One doctor thinks the seizure is actually a freezing episode. He can hear me, but cannot communicate or respond physically, his eyes are in a fixed position, looking to the right. At times, his extremities tremor, sometimes violently. When he comes out of these episodes, he is quite exhausted and needs to sleep for at least 30 minutes. To treat this, he takes Midodrine each morning with a small glass of adult Pedialyte. Staying hydrated is very important, as is being patient upon standing. But, truly, if he just stands there to allow his BP to stabilize, he starts to tremor. Using a walker doesn’t help, because it just tips over on top of him. To help control the seizures, he takes Lamotrigine each evening. As his care partner, these episodes are very scary. For my husband, it is terrifying to lose control of his body, and not be able to speak and ask for help. I sincerely hope your dizziness does not increase over time, as his has.

[Tina]

My husband also suffers from dizziness caused by the orthostatic hypotension and takes Midodrine. What helps him is support stockings that he wears everyday but even better is a belly band. We found it’s the best device out there for helping with the dizziness. You can order on Amazon or ask your neurologist about one.

[Brenda Reese]

My husband was diagnosed with PD in 2016. He also has orthostatic hypotension. He has been taking Midodrine 3x daily for months, but in the last few weeks, we have had to add Fludrocortisone each morning. This week, he has been needing 2 Fludrocortisone 0.1 mg pills first thing in the morning. (He deals with high BP when laying down, so he takes meds at night to lower it.) Before he gets out of bed, his BP is usually high. I get him sitting up and after 10 minutes of sitting up, his BP drops to normal. But as soon as he stands up, it drops to the 80’s over 50,s or even 40’s! SOOOO, I give him the Fludrocortisone and help him get to the bathroom and dressed etc. Once I wheelchair him to the dining table for breakfast, he takes his Carbodopa-levodopa and a Midodrine pill. His neurologist says that digestion causes the BP to lower, so he takes Midodrine at breakfast, lunch and supper. Dizziness, fatigue and weakness are his most bothersome symptoms, followed by constipation.

[Tina]

My husband also suffers from dizziness caused by the orthostatic hypotension and takes Midodrine. What helps him is support stockings that he wears everyday but even better is a belly band. We found it’s the best device out there for helping with the dizziness. You can order on Amazon or ask your neurologist about one.

p.s. He was given fludrocortisone in the hospital once and had a terrible allergic reaction from it!