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Care Partners: A
Guide for Doctor Visits
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MANAGING PARKINSON'S DISEASE AT EVERY STAGE

How Is Parkinson's Disease
Diagnosed?

Ruling out other causes

The first step in making a Parkinson's disease diagnosis is for the doctor to make certain that symptoms are not being caused by something else. There are several other medical conditions that cause symptoms like those of Parkinson's disease.9 The doctor must rule these out first before making a Parkinson's disease diagnosis. Doctors sometimes use tests such as MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and CAT (computed axial tomography) scans to eliminate other reasons for symptoms.14,15

KEY POINTS
  • Doctors must rule out other causes first
  • No test can confirm that a person has Parkinson's disease
  • Possible signs include tremor, rigidity, and delayed or slowed movement
  • Your doctor may choose to use certain scans (MRI, etc) and
    rating scales (UPDRS)

Other tools doctors may use

Your doctor may also use a rating scale to help make a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. One of the most widely used scales is the UPDRS (Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale). This scale is used to rate broad categories such as the patient's activities of daily living, behavior, and motor function over time.9

SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) and PET (positron emission tomography) are new tools that create images of the brain. These are sometimes used to diagnose Parkinson's disease.9 But they are still experimental at this point and are not used routinely to make a diagnosis.

Next: Symptoms of Parkinson's disease

 
 

Important Information about MIRAPEX: MIRAPEX is indicated for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (PD).

MIRAPEX may cause you to fall asleep without any warning, even while doing normal daily activities, such as driving. Before taking MIRAPEX, talk to your doctor if you drink alcohol or take other medications that make you drowsy as these can increase the chance that MIRAPEX will make you feel sleepy or fall asleep when you should be awake. When taking MIRAPEX, hallucinations (seeing, hearing, feeling, or tasting something that isn’t there) may occur and you may sometimes feel dizzy, nauseated, faint or sweaty when you sit up or stand quickly.

In clinical trials for early PD, the most commonly reported side effects of MIRAPEX that were more frequent than with placebo are nausea, dizziness, sleepiness, difficulty falling asleep, involuntary movement, and constipation. In clinical trials for advanced PD, the most commonly reported side effects of MIRAPEX that were more frequent than with placebo are low blood pressure when you sit up or stand quickly, involuntary movement, difficulty falling asleep, dizziness, accidental injury, hallucinations, and dream abnormalities. You should talk with your doctor if you experience these problems.

There have been reports of impulse control disorders and compulsive behaviors in patients taking certain medicines, including MIRAPEX. If you or your family members notice that you are experiencing new or increased gambling urges, increased sexual urges or other intense urges, such as compulsive shopping or eating, while taking MIRAPEX, talk to your doctor.

Please see full Prescribing Information.

This information is intended for U.S. residents only.