One of the most common effects of Parkinson's disease in a person is the uncontrollable shaking of the muscles that worsens gradually. In a recently published study, a common dementia drug could help when it comes to strengthening the bones of people with Parkinson's disease.
A team of researchers from the University of Bristol conducted an 8-month study about the possible effects of other illnesses' medications for Parkinson's disease. They carried out their study by recruiting 130 people with Parkinson's disease that had fallen within the past 12 months.
The researchers then provided half of them with a drug called "rivastigmine" and tracked their condition for the next eight months. The researchers examined the participants and found out that people who received the dementia drug saw a 45 percent decrease on their chances of falling.
Due to the fact that Parkinson's disease is an incurable illness, results of the study mattered a lot to those who saw improvements in their condition. One of the patients named Caroline Maxwell stated that the test she went through allowed her to receive possible treatment for her illness gave her self-confidence to finally do things on her own again.
According to Dr. Emily Henderson, Parkinson's UK researcher and lead study author, the disease does a degenerating process on the dopamine-producing nerve cells, thus resulting in their difficulties when it comes to being steady while walking. She also added that as a part of the condition, people affected by this particular disease also have a lower amount of acetylcholine, which is a chemical that is very important when it comes to thinking.
However, she also added in her notes that rivastigmine is an effective solution to fight off dementia. Her study revealed that it can also improve the walking ability, speed and balance of a person, something that a Parkinson's disease patient would want to achieve.
