Parkinson's Disease and Vertigo: Causes Explored and Management Strategies Provided
In the journey of living with Parkinson's disease, dizziness can be a common and challenging symptom. This article aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the causes and potential solutions for dizziness in individuals with Parkinson's.
Parkinson’s affects the brain areas responsible for balance and movement control, leading to symptoms like stooped posture, freezing of gait, and impaired reflexes. These symptoms, coupled with postural instability and blood pressure problems, increase the risk of dizziness and falls. Additionally, some Parkinson’s medications can cause orthostatic hypotension, a drop in blood pressure when standing, which results in dizziness.
Medications such as Levodopa, dopamine agonists, certain antipsychotics, and anti-nausea drugs can contribute to dizziness. Levodopa, the main treatment to replenish dopamine, can cause side effects such as dizziness, nausea, and tiredness. Dopamine agonists, which mimic dopamine, also carry similar risks. Some antipsychotics and anti-nausea drugs, used in other conditions, that block dopamine receptors can induce Parkinsonism symptoms including balance problems and dizziness, although these are typically not prescribed for Parkinson’s disease itself.
Certain Parkinson’s medications can trigger dyskinesia, involuntary movements that may affect balance and contribute indirectly to falls and dizziness. However, there are ways to manage these symptoms. Procedures or treatments aimed at mitigating symptoms include medication adjustments by neurologists to minimize side effects, physical therapy to improve balance, and careful management of blood pressure issues. Stopping or reducing medications that induce Parkinsonism or cause hypotension may also alleviate dizziness when possible.
Other causes of dizziness in people with Parkinson’s disease can include transient ischemic attack, stroke, anxiety, cold, flu, dehydration, heart disease, migraine, and side effects of medications. A study found a link between dizziness and vestibular hypofunction, which refers to balance issues due to the inner ear not functioning properly, in people with Parkinson's disease but no neurological issues.
Some people may benefit from taking antianxiety drugs or migraine medications to reduce feelings of dizziness. If dizziness is due to orthostatic hypotension, it can be managed by increasing fluid and salt intake, standing up slowly, using an abdominal binder, avoiding heat exposure, prolonged standing, alcohol, and large carbohydrate-rich meals, taking prescription medications to raise blood pressure, and lying down until symptoms reduce.
In summary, dizziness in Parkinson’s results from a mix of the disease’s neurological impact on balance and the side effects of its treatment, particularly those influencing blood pressure and motor control. Discussing medication side effects with a healthcare professional may be helpful in managing dizziness in people with Parkinson’s disease. Some people with Parkinson’s disease may benefit from physical therapy for vertigo. Approximately 11% of people with Parkinson’s disease experience BPPV-induced dizziness, which becomes more common with age. Dizziness in people with Parkinson’s disease can also be caused by side effects of medications or deep brain stimulation, and some medications can cause side effects that include dizziness, such as antidepressants and pain relief medications.
- Parkinson's disease, a neurological disorder, affects brain areas responsible for balance and movement, leading to symptoms like dizziness.
- Medications such as Levodopa, dopamine agonists, antipsychotics, and anti-nausea drugs, often used to treat Parkinson's, can cause dizziness due to their effects on dopamine receptors.
- Managing dizziness in individuals with Parkinson's disease may involve medication adjustments by neurologists, physical therapy for balance, and careful management of blood pressure issues.
- Other health-and-wellness factors that can cause dizziness in people with Parkinson's include transient ischemic attack, stroke, anxiety, cold, flu, dehydration, heart disease, migraine, and side effects of medications, highlighting the importance of a comprehensive approach to health-and-wellness for those living with this condition.
