Do you know the water bottle timing trick for Parkinson's? Living with Parkinson's Disease Tip of the Day
There are several important factors impacting the emergence of low blood pressure in Parkinson’s disease.
A low the blood pressure can lead to a condition called orthostatic hypotension and this can lead to symptoms like dizziness or passing out (e.g. syncope).
One factor that lowers blood pressure is the Parkinson’s degenerative process within the brain itself…..in other words, the longer you have Parkinson’s disease, the greater your chance of a low blood pressure. The Parkinson’s itself affects what is called the autonomic nervous system— which is important to maintaining heart rate and blood pressure.
The silver lining here is that in many cases of Parkinson’s disease, hypertension (blood pressure) medications can be reduced or stopped.
Another major factor in lowering blood pressure is Parkinson’s disease medications. Drugs like Sinemet (carbidopa/levodopa), Rytary or Madopar can lower the blood pressure— and lead to lightheadedness, dizziness and even passing out. For these types of medications, the drug levels tend to peak in your bloodstream about 30-90 minutes after you take your Parkinson’s medications. When they peak in your bloodstream is when the chances of adverse symptoms— like dizziness and/or passing out will emerge.
The “water bottle timing trick”
We recommend to our Parkinson’s patients to consume a full 12-18oz bottle of water with each dose of Sinemet, Sinemet CR, Rytary or Madopar— and to finish the water bottle within 30 minutes of swallowing their medication.
This trick will help to maintain your hydration and will help to combat low blood pressure— which can be precipitated by ingestion of dopaminergic medication. Make sure to consult your healthcare team— especially if you are taking pills every 1-2 hours— as you may need to lower the amount of water consumed per day.
Read more in the new book by Drs Okun, Malaty and Deeb- Living with Parkinson’s (Robert Rose, 2020).
