TAMPA – Neurology Professor Dr. Robert A. Hauser is the director of USF’s Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center. He says the neurological condition develops from the loss of dopamine neurons.
“When the chemical messenger dopamine in the brain goes too low, individuals develop the signs of Parkinson’s disease,” Hauser said.
Winter Haven Resident Bob Harmon knows those signs well.
“I kind of missed them for a couple years,” Harmon said. “A local practitioner just didn’t put them together. I went to a neurologist and he diagnosed me walking down the hall to his office.”
Hauser says there are treatments designed to boost dopamine, and they work well, to a certain extent.
“Over time individuals find that they last a certain amount of time and wear off, so they get fluctuations in the response,” Hauser said. “When medications are under good control, we call that an ‘on period.'”
When the symptoms come back, that’s an off period.
“They come every four hours,” Harmon said.
Now a newly approved medication, Inbrija, could ease those off periods.
“This is a medication that’s an inhaled levodopa formulation,” Hauser said.
He says a recent clinical trial showed patients who took Inbrija while entering an off period had significant benefits.
Harmon, himself, has seen improvements using it.
“I now have a bridge to bridge that off time,” Harmon said.
He uses that bridge to raise awareness in the Parkinson’s community.
“Don’t be a victim. That’s the way I’ve approached it,” Harmon said. “Anyone who will listen to me who has Parkinson’s who needs help, I’m here.”
Dr. Hauser says depending on other preexisting medical conditions Inbrija isn’t for everyone with Parkinson’s, but if you think you or someone you know may be a candidate, you can learn more here.