Just like Parkinson's slows down your outward movements, it can also delay internal motion. Digestion in people with Parkinson's often slows, creating the condition gastrointestinal motility disorder. There are some strategies that may help.
Frequently your neurologist will manage your under-stimulated intestines. However, in more complex cases, they may refer you to a physician who specializes in digestion problems—a gastroenterologist.
If you are having a hard time getting food to digest, life can get pretty miserable. You can become nauseated and constipated. One of the best things you can do to get things moving is drink a few extra glasses of water. Ten or more a day is a healthy practice for your stomach and intestines. It is common knowledge that you can aid digestion by adding fiber to you diet by eating more whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and legumes. For some people a fiber supplement helps as well as a stool softener like Colace.
Medications That Did Not Make the Grade
After you’ve tried the natural strategies, it gets a little trickier, because there is not much more to offer. Physicians in the United States used to have a fine medication, cisapride or Propulsid, that helped jump-start the intestines and keep things moving. However, it did not take long for the medical community to link it to heart problems, including 80 deaths. So, it was withdrawn from the market in the United States, Canada, and many other countries.
Domperidone, or Motilium, is also used to stimulate the digestive tract. However, it has never been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the United States.
Janssen Pharmaceutical applied to the FDA to manufacture and sell domperidone in the United States. While the application was not successful, the FDA left one loophole open for people with severe cases of gastrointestinal motility disorder: A physician can make a request for FDA authorization to administer an investigational drug to humans by filling out an Investigational New Drug Application or IND. You can learn more by visiting the FDA's How to Obtain Domperidone Web page. Patients who meet certain criteria may be considered.
Other people with gastrointestinal motility disorder choose to order domperidone from pharmacies in other countries. However, many physicians are not willing to write prescriptions for drugs not approved by the FDA. It introduces significant risks to the physician, and it is arguably illegal to import many drugs from other countries.
What Other Options Do I Have?
Erythromycin (an antibiotic), metoclopramide, and a few other medications have helped some people improve their digestion speed. However, they generally are not as effective as domperidone or cisapride.
Your doctor is your greatest ally for helping you relieve discomfort that comes from digestive problems. You and your physician can discuss your situation, and consider the pros and cons of dietary strategies, special programs, and medications.
Source:
The Lancet Neurology, February 2003
FDA.gov, How to Obtain Domperidone
