Some non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s may start years before motor symptoms.
At first, these symptoms can be quite mild, and they tend to progress slowly.
There are many different non-motor effects of Parkinson’s disease, which may start at any point in your disease progression, and you may experience some or all of them.
This may be due to
Losing interest in food may cause unwanted weight loss. If you feel that you’re losing your appetite or losing weight, you may want to consider protein supplementation to ensure you’re getting enough calories and nutrients. If you’re experiencing this, you may want to talk with your doctor or a dietitian.
This includes insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, vivid dreams, and talking in your sleep. Sleep issues may be the result of degeneration of the regulators of the sleep-wake cycle.
Restless leg syndrome (RLS) is also associated with Parkinson’s. You may sleep less with RLS, which may then cause daytime fatigue.
Depression is the most common mood change experienced with Parkinson’s. Irritability, anxiety, and impulsive behaviors are less common but are more likely to occur if sleep is disrupted.
If you have Parkinson’s, your brain may produce less dopamine, a chemical that helps regulate emotions.
This
Dementia is common with aging. Because Parkinson’s disease does not have a significant impact on life expectancy, many people separately develop dementia. Sometimes Parkinson’s may cause dementia, but it’s more common for people with Parkinson’s to have Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, or other unrelated types of dementia than to develop Parkinson’s disease-associated dementia.
Some Parkinson’s medications may cause hallucinations as a side effect. These hallucinations may include visual hallucinations (seeing things that are not there). People often have insight about this unless they have also developed dementia.
People with Parkinson’s may have a higher risk of psychosis than the general population. It can develop as a side effect of medication or as part of the disease itself.
This may be due to having low blood pressure when you stand up (orthostatic hypotension). Orthostatic hypotension is more common among people with Parkinson’s disease than in the general population.
If you notice feeling dizzy or falling, you may want to speak with your doctor about getting treatment to help raise your blood pressure.
People with Parkinson’s disease may experience urinary retention or incontinence. If you’re experiencing this, you may want to speak with your doctor. There are medications that may help, and bladder training therapy or exercise may also reduce your symptoms.
It may also help to know where there is a nearby toilet. If needed, you may want to use a pad or diaper in case there is leakage.
This may include erectile dysfunction (ED). This may be worsened by depression or anxiety symptoms. If you’re experiencing sexual dysfunction, you may want to speak with your doctor — there are medications and other therapies that may help reduce your symptoms.
Muscle cramps and tremors may contribute to pain symptoms. If you’re experiencing pain, you may want to speak with your doctor to help find a solution.
People who have Parkinson’s may have a “masked face” which looks like they don’t have any expression. They may appear serious, sad, or angry. This may be upsetting to others who expect a reaction or expression of interest when interacting with a person with Parkinson’s. This may contribute to social isolation and relationship issues.
It’s easy to assume these problems have other causes, and they often do. But any of these non-motor symptoms may have a big impact on your overall quality of life.
Having one or more doesn’t necessarily mean you have Parkinson’s disease or that you’ll eventually develop it. If you’re concerned, you may want to talk with your doctor.
Talk with your doctor if you’re concerned about having Parkinson’s disease. Although there’s no cure, there are medications to help manage symptoms.
And if you don’t have Parkinson’s, it’s still important to find the cause of your symptoms so you can get the help you need.