I got my diagnosis 3 weeks ago and am waiting to see a Parkinson’s nurse regarding medication. My life is so very stressful right now. Both elderly parents ill too. I have started shaking a lot and breathless when I am really tired and stressed to the point I have to lie down. I wondered whether it was due to low blood pressure as I suffer from Orthostatic Hypotension but upon checking my BP it was on the high side rather than low. My question is can stress and anxiety alone cause such a reaction. I am also very tired as I can sleep. It seems a bit extreme for anxiety/stress.
Good evening Rob28 … I have Atypical Parkinson’s & am on quite a lot of medication for this & other issues. I do find stressful situations make me shake & feel quite ill. Often silly situations that should not bother me as much as they do, like a parking ticket I got. Shouldn’t make me shake but it did.
You have a lot of stress in your life which obviously makes your symptoms worse, as they do mine.
Getting a Parkinson’s diagnosis was very stressful for me. I had mine 15 months ago & I have got used to it. Nothing to worry about really.
Best of luck.
Steve2
Thanks Steve. Like you I shake over daft things like this afternoon I forced myself to clean the windows and this made me shake as I was worried I was doing too much. I think maybe we underestimate the power of anxiety. Mine is through the roof at the moment especially waiting for a Parkinson’s nurse to contact me about medication which I am worried will exacerbate my orthostatic hypotension.
@Rob28 It most certainly can. We have builders in at the moment, and just yesterday one of them accidentally crushed/cut a LAN cable under the floor that serves the upstairs with internet, wifi etc. My wife works from home and our son is a Uni student, so both rely heavily on internet access. Being fairly IT savvy, the onus was on me to figure out a rapid temp fix. The pressure was on. Needless to say, I felt this pressure which brought on tremor, body rigidity, muscle pain etc.
It took me a few hours to temporarily fix the issue which was a few hours of pain and grief for me. Permanent fix carries out today. Relaxing with a beer now 
Cheers
D
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Hello Rob28 … You should be excited about getting medication. Either it will help you as Sinemet does me OR you try it for a short time & then if it doesn’t work or the side effects aren’t worth it, then you stop it & try something else. Sinemet was my third Parkinson’s drug. The other two did not work for me.
I discovered today, for the first time ever, that I could not write. I was trying to fill out a form with a pen & I could not form any letters. it was a shock. Of course I normally send emails so I may have had this issue for a while without realising it. The other odd thing I cannot do is carry a plate or a cup or mug as I start shaking & spill the lot.
No big deal though is it?
Today I was very tired, I think that makes things worse.
Best wishes
Steve2
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Hello Dusty … I don’t drink but I’m thinking of starting.
Does it help?
Every doctor I see asks if I drink or smoke so there must be something in it. Got to be worth a try surely.
I have checked on the price of cigarettes & I can’t afford to smoke.
Best wishes
Steve2
@Steve2 Hi Steve. I’ve always been a beer drinker, like the occasional red wine and am partial to a wee dram now and again. I’ve never been a heavy drinker, although I’ve had some crazy nights, days, weekends etc back in my military days (Royal Navy) 
. I’ll leave the story of 2 weeks in Tenerife with my ‘oppos’ to a later date .
Since my diagnosis, I’ve cut down a bit on alcohol intake but still enjoy a couple of beers or so a week. I do find it still relaxes me and eases symptoms. That said, I’m careful to just have one, maybe 2 max.
Smoking, I’ve never done and would never consider starting.
Cheers
D
@Steve2 I think they ask because of the well know health risks of long term heavy drinking and smoking. Both of these if taken to excess can cause numerous health problems. Maybe even exacerbate existing conditions. I’m happy that a couple of beers a week can’t do me any harm. 
Cheers
D
Hello Dusty68 … In all seriousness I used to be a heavy social drinker. I played competitive sport & when you finished playing you drank in the pub till it closed.
I did get stopped driving 3 times & breath tested, we are talking around 1985 here. The first & second time I just passed but the third time I did not & was locked in a police cell for a couple of hours as they were busy. When I did take the breath test
2 hours later I passed the test. That was the last time I drank. I had never been a drinker at home as I wasn’t keen on the taste.
I stopped smoking when I was about 12 years old, a number of us had been caught smoking at boarding school. We all got badly beaten by the headmaster [1966] & that did put me off smoking. There were a lot of spot tests at school, empty your pockets, satchel, desk etc. So way too risky & of course your breath & clothing smelt. It was quite ridiculous really as all the school masters smoked themselves. Anyway
I haven’t smoked since. Did me a favour I suppose.
Best wishes
Steve2
@Rob28 Be assured by the fact that there are many different medications available for PD. Some work for some and don’t work for others. E.g. I started Ropinirole some months ago but immediately stopped taking it due to serious nausea and vomiting. It just didn’t agree with me. Instead, I was given Opicapone which helps me massively. Everyone reacts differently to PD and its medications.
Ensure the medical professionals know about your Hypotension when they prescribe your PD meds, and if necessary, get a second opinion to ensure it’s safe for you.
Cheers
D
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I get anxiety for any task I think will test me. I believe it’s physical rather than mental as I only get it when pills (all hail Sinemet) are wearing off between doses. I think it’s cos All my muscles are affected. It’s like electric shocks without the pain…constantly pulsing or convulsing. This includes my chest muscles (intercostal) that makes me breathe.
And strangely, being unable to breathe makes me anxious!
So the good news is Rob, don’t stress about the pills, they make you better…
…the bad news is…only for a while…I’ve had it nearly ten years now, and I’m on 800mg a day of Sinemet (or generic L-Dopa). In the UK they have problems with this level, even though the stated maximum is 2,000mg a day.
Current source of MY anxiety…is the NHS.
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Hi Rob28 The shaking is the one thing that I really dislike. I have what my PD thinks is quite a lot of stress and so Some days I shake a lot I barley get a couple of hours when I don’t shake. Even things that shouldn’t be that stressful is. Then the aches and pains start and like you I have to go and lie on the bed. I don’t actually sleep on the bed and haven’t for a long time. I sleep in a recliner chair. Once I have calmed down and stopped shaking then I get up and carry on. It is so frustrating because when shaking you feel weak and can’t do anything. Also not good is my husband as he has no bother about my PD he says I am fitter than him. He causes a lot of stress the Consultant says to remove yourself from the stressful situation, Which sometimes I do by going and laying down. I find that if I am shaking before I go out once I get among friends or go for a walk the shakes calm down and most time stops. As for drinking and smoking I gave up drinking although I didn’t drink very much at all as soon as I was diagnosed. I am on Sinemet as well. Sinemet Plus 4 times a day and 16 mg of Ropinirole, if I start shaking before my next dose I take a 12% / 50 just one Sometimes it helps sometimes not.
Anyway I hope you get it sorted out. Sharon
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