My Dad with Parkinson's (69) has these violent shakes where his whole body thrashes back and forth when he is standing or laying down. It happens more when he fully vertical, and has gone through many tests to prove it is not a seizure. He has finally ben diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease Dementia and getting better care, but his violent shakes are still something we are dealing with. Has anyone else dealt with this?
Dyskinesia is an uncontrollable movement in a part of your body, like your arm, leg, or head. It can look like:
twitching
writhing
fidgeting
twisting
jerking
restlessness
Dyskinesia is caused by long-term use of levodopa — the primary drug used to treat Parkinson’s. The higher the dose of levodopa you take, and the longer you’ve been taking it, the more likely you’re to experience this side effect.
Another risk factor for developing dyskinesia is being diagnosed with Parkinson’s at a younger age. The incidence of dyskinesia in Parkinson’s decreases as you age, but it increases the longer you have had PD and taken levodopa.
Here is a link to an article on this subject, discussing the difference between Parkinson's tremors and dyskinesia:
https://www.healthline.com/health/parkinsons-disease/tremor-dyskinesia#what-is-dyskinesia
Maybe if dad does take levodopa, you can speak to his doctor about the possibility he's suffering from dyskinesia from that medication, and alternatives.
Best of luck.
i'll tell you about the case i know:
a friend of mine - his father (david) - has parkinson's. he suddenly started having violent shakes like you describe. often lasting about 30 minutes.
david started having this because the neurologist decreased the parkinson's medicine. this created withdrawal. parkinson's medicine has side-effects, so the neurologist was trying to decrease the side-effects, by decreasing the dosage. due to the violent shaking, the neurologist increased the medicine again.
now david has stopped having these violent shakes.
She took Sinemet. She was diagnosed later in life so it progressed more slowly. People who are diagnosed younger have a more rapid progression.
Mom would often say that her brain would send the signal to move but her body wouldn’t follow the signal. She became very rigid in her movements as the disease progressed. She also became very weak.
She would improve some with occupational and physical therapy. They have special exercises just for Parkinson’s patients. The exercises focus on strengthening your core muscles and helping with balance. Mom fell quite a bit.
She lived to be 95. Her brother also had Parkinson’s disease and lived to be 96.
I truly hope that one day they will find a cure for Parkinson’s disease.
I don't know what his medication is, because I'm not his POA due to my own disability. He has two friends who act as his agents. Since I'm not involved with his care, he told me I cannot see him. He also suffers bipolar disorder. Pray for my brother.
2. Read these websites; some of their content is copied below:
https://www.parkinson.org/understanding-parkinsons/movement-symptoms/tremor
and
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/parkinsons-tremor
Can Parkinson make your whole body shake?
Characteristically occurring at rest, the classic slow, rhythmic tremor of Parkinson's disease typically starts in one hand, foot, or leg and can eventually affect both sides of the body. The resting tremor of Parkinson's disease can also occur in the jaw, chin, mouth, or tongue.
A tremor refers to a an involuntary muscle contraction that results in a shaking movement. It is a common movement disorder that can be a symptom of conditions such as Parkinson’s disease. A Parkinsonian tremor can affect the hands while at rest and may only appear in one limb or on just one side of the body.
Tremors are a common symptom that often results from altered activity in the areas of the brain that control movement. They are often associated with neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis, stroke, and Parkinson’s disease.
Medical experts classify body tremors into two categories, which are resting tremors and action tremors.
The first are tremors that occur when the muscle is at rest, and the second occur during voluntary muscle movements. Experts then further categorize tremors into different types, of which there are more than 20.
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