The association France Parkinson has published an online questionnaire allowing people under antiparkinsonian treatment to evaluate the side effects of drugs.
Parkinson's disease affects nearly 160,000 people in France, including 25,000 new cases each year. In order to limit the progressive disappearance of neurons and the motor symptoms that characterize the disease, there are specific treatments. Alone: these drugs cause special side effects, which can cause addictions. These include compulsive food and shopping, hypersexuality, and addiction to gambling.
Not easy to approach this type of subject with a health professional, or even with a loved one. However, between 14 and 25% of the patients under treatment would be concerned. The association France Parkinson has decided to take the problem with the arms and has just launched a site with a questionnaire whose purpose is to sensitize the patients and their relatives to behavioral disorders that can be induced by antiparkinsonian treatments.
A support to open the dialogue
Just log on to the site and take 10 to 15 minutes to answer about 15 anonymous questions. The questionnaire allows one to step back on one's own situation and to better understand whether one's behavior has changed following treatment. By opening the discussion with their doctor, patients will benefit from an adaptation of their medication to reduce or eliminate the undesirable effects.
This tool, funded by the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines (ANSM), does not replace a medical consultation, but it can alert a patient and his / her relatives and provide a support to exchange with the doctor. This assistance to patients is particularly useful when one of every two patients is aged 58 and is still active from a professional point of view.