How can I help myself?

It is essential that you communicate well with your doctor so that he/she understands your individual symptoms and tailors your medication regime accordingly. Don’t wait for your doctor to ask you specific questions about symptoms – you are the expert in how you are affected by your medications so let him know any difficulties you experience and how your daily life is affected. Do keep a wearing off or motor diary if possible and maintain good communication with your doctor so that any necessary adjustments can be made as the illness progresses.

Make sure that you also let your doctor know about non-motor symptoms as well, as these are equally important and can affect quality of life.

Sometimes sitting back and relaxing can be helpful, as frustration or stress when trying to do things when you’re experiencing wearing off can aggravate symptoms. Conversely some people find keeping busy helps to distract them.

Diet

"A Swedish delicacy is fresh potatoes. In the middle of harvesting potatoes my Parkinson's turns from "on" to "off". At such a moment the only thing to do is to put the pitchfork down, rest a while and 'refill' a dose of dopamine, so I get my strength back. Then I can harvest my fresh potatoes and just enjoy life."

Alexej, Täbby, Sweden

Eating a healthy diet is important and particular attention should be paid to any instructions your doctor gives you regarding how you take levodopa in relation to food. Protein can interfere with its absorption in the body and brain and can reduce its effectiveness.

Exercise and rest

Exercise, such as swimming or walking, may help and of course and getting plenty of sleep is important. Many people find the loss of energy when wearing off particularly difficult and carrying out daily activities, such as walking or working, becomes almost impossible. You may find it helpful, therefore, to time activities when the levodopa is at its optimum effectiveness so that you can more easily accomplish these.