May 14, 2026
After my uncle's diagnosis, everything slowed down and took more planning
Written by Crystal Onyema | May 13, 2026
Before Parkinson’s disease, my late uncle Brandon was always on the move.
He always needed something to do, especially on weekends. If he wasn’t planning a hunting trip, he was outside grilling ribs, sausage, or brisket and inviting neighbors over without a second thought.
The house was rarely quiet. There was always laughter, music, and people dropping by. Family, friends, neighbors, and even strangers felt welcome. My uncle was at the heart of it all, bringing energy wherever he went. Life seemed to revolve around him.
That’s why, after his diagnosis, one of the biggest things I noticed wasn’t just the physical changes. It was the shift in rhythm.
Over time, everything slowed down. It happened little by little. Outings took more planning. Simple tasks took more time. Conversations stretched longer. There was more watching, waiting, and adjusting than before. As changes in movement and coordination became more noticeable, our family had to slowly adapt to a different pace.
At first, I don’t think I fully understood what was happening. I was so focused on helping, learning about Parkinson’s, and trying to support him that I didn’t immediately realize how much the overall energy of our lives had changed. But eventually, I noticed.
We started paying closer attention to what he needed. Things became more intentional and methodical. We learned to move in ways that helped him feel supported without making everything feel clinical or unfamiliar. Preserving a sense of normalcy became important to all of us, especially as mobility and balance became more unpredictable.
May 13, 2026
Medically reviewed by Meredith Goodwin, MD, FAAFP - Written by Rena Goldman - Updated on July 18, 2025
People move through the stages of Parkinson’s at a different pace. At each stage, treatments are available to help as symptoms progress.
The progression of Parkinson’s is described in five stages. Stage 1 is when early signs start to appear. Stage 5 describes the final stage of the disease, when a person needs around-the-clock nursing care.
For some people, it can take as long as 20 years to move through all the stages.
As you move through the stages, your doctor and care team will make changes to your treatment plan. That’s why it’s important to tell your doctor about any new symptoms or differences in how you feel.
In the early stages, taking medication works well to manage symptoms. But as Parkinson’s progresses, your medication may work for shorter periods of time, and symptoms may return more easily.
Many people notice a decrease in effectiveness after around 5 years. You may experience involuntary movements or be unable to move at all.
If you notice your medication becoming less effective, inform your healthcare provider. They may:
- change the time of the day and frequency of when you use your medication
- switch to sustained-release tablets (which release the drug gradually)
- change the doses
- prescribe additional medications such as COMT inhibitors, NMDA antagonists, anticholinergic drugs or MAO-B inhibitors
- add a dopamine agonist in addition to levodopa
Anxiety and depression have been linked to Parkinson’s and may occur before movement issues. Up to 40% of individuals with Parkinson’s will experience some form of anxiety, and up to 50% will experience some form of depression.
It’s possible that changes in your emotional well-being can be a sign of changing physical health as well. If you are more anxious than usual, have lost interest in things, or feel a sense of hopelessness, talk with your doctor.
A combination of therapy and medication may be used to help manage symptoms of anxiety and depression. Non-pharmacological complementary approaches can include mindfulness practices and social support.
As Parkinson’s progresses, you may also develop problems with sleep patterns. Alternatively, the onset of sleep disorders can precede movement difficulties. You might wake up often in the middle of the night or sleep more during the day than you do at night.
Excessive daytime sleepiness occurs in 30 to 50% of individuals with Parkinson’s disease. It may be related to medications or poor sleep. Some ways you may be able to prevent this can include:
- practicing good sleep hygiene, including a set bedtime and wake-up time
- getting exposure to light during the day and darkness at night
- avoiding sedentary activities during the day and getting regular exercise
Sleep apnea is also a common sleep disturbance, which occurs in 40% of people with Parkinson’s disease. A CPAP machine can help treat it.
Another sleep disturbance for people with Parkinson’s is rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder. This is when you start acting out your dreams in your sleep, such as verbally and physically, which can get uncomfortable — or even dangerous — if someone is sharing your bed.
There are medications your doctor can prescribe to help REM sleep behavior disorder, such as melatonin or clonazepam.
May 12, 2026
For athlete and author Steve Yellen, embracing challenges is empowering
Written by Mary Beth Skylis | May 7, 2026
Connecticut-based Steve Yellen was a weekend athlete before he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease seven years ago. He first noticed a tremor in his left hand. Then he saw a neurologist, who confirmed the diagnosis.
Instead of succumbing to apathy, Yellen decided to do everything in his power to fight back. “I’ve always enjoyed problem-solving. My background is in engineering. I like understanding problems,” he told me during a recent phone call.
Yellen began learning about the potential of exercise while investigating his new life with Parkinson’s disease. Before long, he began creating short-term goals to give him a sense of autonomy over the disease.
“I started signing up for events for motivation. I’ve done 11 Spartan races, six triathlons, and raced up the Empire State Building three times in the last three years,” he said. Embracing new challenges made him feel empowered and capable in the face of Parkinson’s disease.
About a year after racing up the Empire State Building, Yellen realized that such events allowed him to leverage self-efficacy. “It’s basically a person’s belief that they can take hold of their situation. One of the ways you can enhance it is by [setting] short-term goals. When you achieve it, it’s like throwing a log on the fire,” he said.
Empowering others
It wasn’t long before Yellen realized he wanted to share the empowerment he’d found through his own physical challenges with others. “I started getting more involved with advocacy and research,” he said.
A friend suggested that Yellen write a book about his experience. At first, he said no. But then he started jotting down ideas on a piece of paper. On Jan. 1, 2025, he committed to the project. By the end of December, he had the first paperback copy in his hands.
Now available on Amazon, “Living Parkinson’s” details the seven strategies that Yellen has used to navigate life with Parkinson’s disease.
“It’s your attitude, education, your support (friends, family, doctors), exercise, wellness, participating in research, and advocacy,” he explained. “[The book] is based on the research and science I learned. It’s a guide that anyone can use to build their own road map, no matter when their journey began. It doesn’t tell you anything specific to do. It provides direction and offers some suggestions.”
May 11, 2026
May 10, 2026
Author(s)Marco Meglio, Rebecca Wilkins
Rebecca Wilkins, Divisional Vice President of R&D Neuromodulation at Abbott, discusses the evolving role of deep brain stimulation in Parkinson disease, including patient selection, newer DBS technologies, and integration with emerging therapies.
As Parkinson disease (PD) progresses, many patients reach a point where medication alone is no longer sufficient to control symptoms such as tremor, rigidity, slowness, and motor fluctuations. For these individuals, deep brain stimulation (DBS) has become an increasingly important treatment option, offering targeted neuromodulation to help improve motor control and reduce the burden associated with escalating medication schedules.
Often described as a “pacemaker for the brain,” DBS works by delivering electrical stimulation to specific brain regions involved in motor circuitry. Over the last several years, the field has continued to evolve through innovations such as directional leads, adaptive programming strategies, and remote care technologies aimed at personalizing therapy and improving long-term patient management. At the same time, clinicians are reassessing the timing of referral for DBS evaluation, particularly as newer infusion therapies and investigational disease-modifying approaches continue to emerge within Parkinson disease care.
During PD Awareness Month (April), NeurologyLive® spoke with Rebecca Wilkins, Divisional Vice President of R&D Neuromodulation at Abbott, about the current state of DBS technology and how the treatment landscape is changing. In the discussion, Wilkins outlined the mechanistic rationale behind DBS, key considerations for patient selection, and the ways newer neuromodulation technologies may influence programming strategies and patient outcomes moving forward.
Can you outline how DBS modulates basal ganglia circuitry and how this translates into improvements in motor symptoms for patients with Parkinson's disease?
Rebecca Wilkins: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) works by delivering precisely timed electrical pulses to specific areas within the brain's basal ganglia circuitry, which are involved in motor control, to help control PDP symptoms.1 DBS systems include two main components that facilitate this process:
- An implantable pulse generator (IPG), a small device placed under the skin of the chest, produces these electrical pulses.
- Thin wires, known as leads, are surgically implanted to deliver these electrical pulses directly to the targeted brain regions. These DBS systems can utilize two different types of batteries: rechargeable and non-rechargeable.
- These electrical outputs function much like a pacemaker for the brain, disrupting abnormal, overactive brain signals to provide significant improvements in motor symptoms for patients with PD, particularly when medication alone is no longer sufficient.
- DBS offers an advantage by reducing the burden of the strict medication schedule often associated with pharmaceutical management, while also providing relief for all the major symptoms of PD. It is particularly beneficial in improving movement symptoms, such as tremor, stiffness, and slowness, especially when these symptoms respond to levodopa.
- It should be noted that tremor itself can improve with DBS even if it has not responded to levodopa.
- Furthermore, DBS effectively addresses medication side effects, including dyskinesia (extra, involuntary movements), either directly or by enabling lower medication doses. This improves "on time" without bothersome dyskinesias and ensures sustained symptom improvement for patients with PD.3
May 6, 2026
Medically reviewed by Nancy Hammond, M.D. — Written by Rachael Zimlich, RN, BSN — Updated on February 12, 2026
Key takeaways
- Stress, mood changes, and emotions such as anxiety and depression can worsen motor symptoms in people with Parkinson’s disease.
- Medications, especially levodopa, can cause complications and fluctuating responses. You may need dosage adjustments or additional treatments. Certain other medications can also aggravate Parkinson’s symptoms.
- Imbalances in gut bacteria and certain foods, such as processed foods and red meats, may affect the central nervous system and worsen Parkinson’s progression, while Mediterranean-type diets may help.
Parkinson’s disease is a chronic, progressive neurological disease. There’s no cure, and in the years after diagnosis, many people with this condition may notice their symptoms fluctuate or worsen.
If you have Parkinson’s disease, there are various factors that may worsen your symptoms. Common triggers include the following.
Chronic stress
Research has identified chronic stress as one of the possible initial triggers for the onset of Parkinson’s disease.
In one survey in 2021, people with Parkinson’s disease reported increases in the following symptoms when their stress levels were higher:
- tremors
- movement problems
- sleep disturbances
- depression
- balance and gait
- dyskinesias like muscle weakness or twitching
- memory problems
- speech and communication difficulties
The study authors noted that tremors seemed to be the symptom most affected by stress.
Emotions
Stress, emotional turmoil, and other mood changes can have an effect on symptoms in people with Parkinson’s disease. Anxiety and depression are common emotional symptoms that often develop in those with the condition.
Research has found that motor symptoms were worse in people with Parkinson’s who were in a depressed, anxious, or otherwise emotional state.
Medications
Levodopa, one of the most commonly prescribed medications for Parkinson’s disease, may cause significant complications.
One report suggested that almost everyone who takes this medication will experience fluctuating responses to their treatment at some point. The problem is especially pronounced in people who take higher doses of levodopa.
Severe symptoms can appear on these higher doses, including:
- severe tremors
- increased movement problems
- pain
- profuse sweating
- increases in heart rate
- abdominal discomfort
- depression
- anxiety
The solution is usually to adjust dosages to provide you with a more consistent level of the medication throughout the day or to add on additional adjunctive treatments.
However, the study also notes that the stage and severity of your Parkinson’s disease, as well as your age and cognitive health, can limit the use of other therapies in treating the condition.
Recent Comments