It will help your doctor to have a better understanding of your motor fluctuations if you give them as much information as you can. One way to do this is to keep a diary for a few days, noting what time you take your levodopa or other Parkinson’s medications, what time you start to experience symptoms, and what these symptoms are. Typically a motor diary, or wearing off diary, will include details such as:
- the times of day when you take your Parkinson’s medication
- the times of day when you have good symptom control
- which symptoms re-emerge during the day and when
- what symptoms you experience at night
- any complications you may experience, such as dyskinesia, and their relation to when you take your medication
- it can also be useful to note the timing of meals, drinks and snacks (what you consume can affect your symptom control as proteins, for example, can interfere with the efficacy of levodopa).
This information will enable your doctor to better understand your symptoms and be confident in making the appropriate adjustments to your medication to overcome them.
But, as with all medications, always check with your healthcare professional before altering any of your medications.
For a sample diary and information on keeping this see The Guide to living with Parkinson's disease Diary.
