My dad is 66 and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s (PD) over 10 years ago. For the most part, everything has been quite positive with his Parkinson’s. He has a tremor on his left side, which now affects part of the left side of his face and his left leg.
Unfortunately, over the past 6–7 months he has been suffering really badly with anxiety, although he didn’t tell any of us about it. It’s only been in the last 2–3 weeks that he has opened up to us about just how bad it has become. I also think he may be experiencing some depression alongside it.
He has had some other health issues alongside his PD, which obviously hasn’t helped his mood. The anxiety has now become so bad that we can hardly get him to leave the house. He is constantly overthinking and worrying, and it seems to be affecting him every minute of every day.
He was started on Sertraline 50 mg on 5th August. I know it can take several weeks to have an effect, but he seems to be getting worse rather than better. His doctor has now increased the dose to 100 mg daily on 12th August, so we have been told we need to give it time to work.
I just want to take all of this away from him, but obviously I know I can’t. We are really hoping the medication will start to help and that he can get some quality of life back without feeling so anxious and overwhelmed all the time.
Has anyone else experienced severe anxiety alongside Parkinson’s? Has anyone here taken Sertraline for anxiety/depression with PD? If so, did you find it helped, and how long was it before you started noticing a difference?
Hi @Shannon01, thank you for sharing this with the forum. It sounds like your dad has been carrying a lot on his own. Anxiety and low mood can affect people living with Parkinson’s. We have some information on our website on this very topic, which might be helpful to you both: Anxiety | Parkinson's UK.
It’s good that he’s opened up to you, and that his GP is keeping a close eye on things and adjusting his medication. Sertraline can take a while to settle, and some people do feel worse before it starts to help, but any concerns about how he’s reacting to it should be fed back to his GP.
If you’d like to talk things through or get some guidance while you’re supporting him, our free, confidential helpline is here for anyone affected by Parkinson’s: 0808 800 0303. Neither of you are alone in this
I am so sorry to hear what your dad is going through, it is not easy on him or of course you or your family.
Please forgive me, for this way too long reply.
Anxiety and depression are in the most cases inextricably linked.
The one feeds off the other.
I feel that your statement “He has a tremor on his left side, which now affects part of the left side of his face and his left leg.” seems to be a major cause of this.
It seems that he has been incredibly lucky as have I, in that his PD has developed very slowly, and now it is becoming a lot more scary.
I have been extremely lucky as well, in that I was diagnosed about 6 years ago now, and it has also progressed slowly.
It is now beginning to get worse, in that when I am stressed/anxious, as with your dad, it does get worse.
And this obviously makes the symptoms a bit worse which leads to more anxiety which leads to ----------.
I too have a number of other health issues including seizures which are fortunately under control.
One of the best ways to mitigate the symptoms is by exercise.
It really does work.
I go to gym 3 times a week and cycle once or twice.
And please remember PD is very weird in that it seems to affect everyone in different ways, and as a result a medication that may work for one may not work for someone else. It can unfortunately at times be a “hit and miss” situation.
And please remember to always get, if you can, an opinion by a Neurologist
A GP only understands the very basics of PD.
Another point that is important, is that yes, in most cases the GP knows what to prescribe however, something that most people do not know is that it is actually your pharmacist who knows how the various drugs interact with each other.
You could do worse than having a quick chat with him or her.
I hope that helps in a small way.
