Over-the-Counter Pain Remedies for Parkinson's Disease

Pain is, unfortunately, an extremely common symptom of Parkinson's disease, up to 85% of people living with Parkinson's experience pain from their condition at some point.

Pain in Parkinson's disease can occur from rigid muscles, from constant tremors, or from falls or other injuries. Parkinson's patients most frequently experience pain in their necks, backs, arms, and legs.

In some people, pain is one of their first symptoms and could help lead to their diagnosis of the condition. In others, it doesn't occur until later. But regardless, it's something you want to manage since it can interfere with your quality of life.

Pain Relievers and Other Options

If you're in pain, your healthcare provider may suggest you take over-the-counter pain relief medications such as Motrin (ibuprofen), Aleve (naproxen) or aspirin. These medications may work to relieve minor aches and pains that you experience from your Parkinson's disease due to immobility, stiffness, and rigidity.

However, your healthcare provider may want to try some other remedies first. These options include:

• Adjusting your Parkinson's medications. Since pain can be caused by the muscle-related symptoms of Parkinson's disease, it's possible that it can be managed by adjusting the medications prescribed to manage those symptoms. Your healthcare provider is the best judge of whether this is possible, and how to accomplish it.
• Exercise. Again, most persistent pains in Parkinson's are due to the motor problems associated with the condition. An exercise program can help you alleviate those motor problems, which should, in turn, cause the accompanying aches and pains to diminish. Talk to your healthcare provider about starting such an exercise program.

Other options to treat pain in Parkinson's disease include massage, physical therapy, and stretching.

Parkinson's Pain Can Be Linked to Depression

If exercise and/or adjusting your medications do not help with the pain, ask yourself and your healthcare provider if you might be depressed. Pain in Parkinson's disease is linked to depression, and treating the depression may help to diminish any persistent pains. Depression affects about 40% of people with Parkinson's. In some cases, psychotherapy may alleviate pain from Parkinson's.

If you don't have depression or if the pains persist after treating your symptoms of depression, then you may want to consider seeing a pain specialist before taking over-the-counter remedies. Pain control specialists have a whole array of pain control treatments and techniques, ranging from special medications to special surgical procedures, that are known to be effective.