Are you a candidate for this ‘curable’ form of Parkinson’s?

The shocking overlooked ‘cure’ for Parkinson’s disease

When Larry was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome, his doctor decided to try a drug “off label” to treat it.

That was nothing unusual — lots of doctors do it.

And the drug Larry got for his GI symptoms was a powerful med used to treat anxiety and depression. Again, as bizarre as that sounds, it’s not uncommon for “antipsychotics” as they’re called, to be prescribed for all sorts of conditions.

Several months after beginning his treatment, Larry started having other problems. Tremors, rigidity, problems with certain movements, slurred speech…and the prognosis wasn’t good.

At 58, Larry was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He was then put on L-dopa, the first-line treatment for it.

For seven years Larry faithfully took his meds, but showed no real improvement.

He finally saw a specialist, desperate for a miracle.

And he got one.

This doctor knew exactly what to do to “cure” Larry.

And it only took 6 months.

The specialist Larry saw didn’t try some amazing new drug on him that wiped out his Parkinson’s disease.

Actually, it was just the opposite.

He took away the drug for depression, the one Larry was taking to treat his GI issues.

That med, called Stelazine, is just one of over 49 drugs that are known to produce a disease remarkably similar to Parkinson’s. The name even sounds similar: Parkinsonism. Or for the long version, drug-induced Parkinsonism.

But the good news about Parkinsonism is that most cases are totally reversible when people stop taking the drug that caused it to begin with.

Unfortunately, even though the link is well known — and has been for quite a while — many doctors haven’t heard about it.

The specialist Larry saw that took him off the depression med had seen other cases like his. In only 3 years he saw, and “cured” 38 other patients who were diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

Experts say that we have no idea how many may have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s but instead, actually have the drug-induced version. And if you’re older, and especially if you’re a woman, you have a much bigger risk of getting it.

And as I said, there are around 49 different drugs that can cause it.

Two of them, compazine, and Reglan, are often prescribed to treat acid, nausea and vomiting.

And Reglan is well known to be a major cause of drug-induced Parkinsonism in people under 50.

Other drugs that can trigger this disease include Zoloft, Paxil, Wellbutrin, Prozac and Abilify.

In fact, any drug that can affect your mood, treat anxiety or that can be used for bipolar disorder or schizophrenia — any one of them — can cause this disease.

It’s absolutely unbelievable that this condition, one that’s been known for years, can continue to be so misdiagnosed.

A study found that that when researchers carefully examined over 1,500 people with Parkinson-like symptoms, they found that in 120 it was absolutely clear that their “disease” was caused by the drugs they were taking.

That’s why it’s vital, if you or a loved one is suffering any symptoms of Parkinson’s, or has even been diagnosed by a doctor as having the disease, to check the medicine cabinet first.

Because it’s possible that the miracle “cure” you’ve been praying for could be as simple as discontinuing a drug.

Sources:
“Drug-induced parkinsonism” Worst Pills, Best Pills newsletter, worstpills.org