Tips for anaesthesia and surgery if you have Parkinson's disease

It is nearly inevitable that you will at some point need to have surgery or an outpatient procedure even if unrelated to your Parkinson’s disease. See our Facebook video tip of the day on anaesthesia and Parkinson’s. Here are a few tips to keep you safe.

Light or no anesthesia is better (less is more). Ask if the procedure can be performed under local instead of general anesthesia.
If you need sedation think about short acting drugs like Versed.
Watch our for drug-drug interactions particularly with MAO-B inhibitors and pain medications (demerol). MAO-B inhibitors do not mix well with some gas based anesthetics (e.g. halothane).
Many pain medications can lead to constipation.
The Parkinson’s foundation has a free hospitalization kit which has lots of helpful tips and procedures to keep you safe in the hospital.

Michael OkunJuly 7, 2021

To read more books and articles by Michael S. Okun MD check him out on Twitter, @MichaelOkun, and also Amazon.com. The 14 books he has written including #Livingwith Parkinson’s #EndingPD #Parkinsonsecrets #LessonsFromTheBedside Dr. Okun also serves as the Medical Advisor for the Parkinson’s Foundation.

To read more on Indu Subramanian M.D. she does live interviews of experts in Parkinson’s for the PMD Alliance. She is one of the few doctors in the world trained in both Parkinson’s disease neurology and in integrative medicine.

To see more on our blog by artist Jonny Acheson MD check out his website at JonnyAchesonArt.com. Jonny is a physician in the U.K. who also has Parkinson’s disease.

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Tips for anaesthesia and surgery if you have Parkinson's disease

To read more on Indu Subramanian M.D. she does live interviews of experts in Parkinson’s for the PMD Alliance﻿. She is one of the few doctors in the world trained in both Parkinson’s disease neurology and in integrative medicine.

To see more on our blog by artist Jonny Acheson MD check out his website at JonnyAchesonArt.com. Jonny is a physician in the U.K. who also has Parkinson’s disease.

Dr. Michael S. Okun

To read more on Indu Subramanian M.D. she does live interviews of experts in Parkinson’s for the PMD Alliance. She is one of the few doctors in the world trained in both Parkinson’s disease neurology and in integrative medicine.