Hi Vic,

OCD is only a problem with PD if you've been prescribed either of the agonists Requip or Mirapex. OCD is a terrible side effect of either of those two meds.

Neither of them have very good track records! I know of some people who have lost spouses, all of their retirement savings, etc.

If you're taking either of them, have your wife watch you closely, and I would recommend that she be the one to control the family finances. I know of many others who lost nearly everything due to gambling and/or sexual OCD manifestations.

Isn't it awful what doctors WON'T/DON'T tell their patients!

Take care pal, Jim

Jim.
I'm not on either Requip or Mirapex, but have read other post about it.
I think with me it's something I've always had to a degree. I don't gamble and forgot what sex was, so that's not a problem lol.

I actually have very few bad habits. My one guilty pleasure is enjoying a cold beer now and then, and even at that I have a 2 drink limit because it doesn't well with my meds.

I prob just have a touch of good ol fashion OCD

Hi Old, I have OCD in a mild way. I was a machine builder and pipe fitter. Pipes that were not level along with other various parts of the machine. It would bug me. Couldn't change them, because other employees did them. Now that I have Parkinson's. It bugs me even worse.
Jim is right on Mirapex & Requip. I would go on shopping sprees. And with the Requip my ankles swelled up. As soon as my neurologist saw my ankles. he took me the Requip.
Everyday is a new day. Right now I'm weeding the shrubs around the house. But, I'm on a break pacing myself. I'm We have so much to learn about our bodies. Stay Strong.

Yes I've read that OCD is can be a very common side effect with people on Mirapex or Requip. Thankfully my Sinemet is doing a good job at keeping my symptom at bay for now.
As I told Jim, I think this may be something I've had all along but just notice it more now because I sit home a lot thinking of things needing to be done.

Maybe I'm just trying to prove to myself that I can still do these things, then realize maybe I took on more than I can chew lol.

Vic

My mother, who has PD, had (undiagnosed) OCD and attention-deficit issues when I was a child and teenager. Over the years, things much got better. Them, along came PD and, although manifesting differently, OCD and full-blown attention attention-deficit issues started up again. She spent 18+ hours on her computer, spent two hours per day organizing vitamins to fill them into compartmentalized containers, etc. She refused to walk and do her PT exercises with me (which caused her mobility and balance to decline), insisted on having her meals at her computer in her home office, etc., etc. She seems oblivious to the harm she's caused herself and to the stress she creates for others.

There was no difference in my mother's PD-related OCD and ADD whether she was on Mirapex or not. I wondered whether it came from PD or Sinemet (carbidopa/levodopa). Eventually, it drove me crazy enough, especially when I saw how she was willingly enabling her own physical decline, and went on-line in search of answers and found it. It's called PUNDING.

Here are some excerpts of info. I've saved:

"Punding In Parkinson's Disease - Punding, first described in amphetamine addicts, is considered to be analogous to motor stereotypes as a continuum of behavior which ranges from excessive 'hobbyism' to prolonged, disabling, and highly stereotyped ritualistic behavior. Specific activities are influenced by gender and individual background and include cleaning, repairing, gardening, writing, artistic drawing, excessive computer or Internet use, and repeatedly categorizing objects or information. Punders may neglect basic physiological needs such as sleep, hunger, and medications. They may or may not have insight regarding the appropriateness of their behavior. Some patients report their activities to be soothing and may be irritated when interrupted. Some are very agitated while carrying out their activities." (Source: Roongroj Bhidayasiri MD, FRCP, FRCPI and Daniel Tarsy MD - Source: http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-1-60327-426-5_12)

and

"Punding is a stereotypical behavior in which there is an intense fascination with repetitive handling and examining of mechanical objects, such as taking apart watches and radios or arranging common objects (lining up pebbles, rocks, or other small objects). This disabling condition, different from both obsessivecompulsive disorder and mania, is probably underreported. Punding is thought to be related to dopaminergic stimulation, although only a few observations of this condition in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) under therapy has been reported. We report a man with PD who developed an unusual, severe, repetitive behavior characterized by spending most of his time on his computer; this abnormal behavior was concomitant with the introduction of l-dopa (400 mg per day) and was not associated to a pattern of chronic inappropriate overuse of dopaminergic medication or other psychiatric symptoms. The patient had the feeling he was forced into a disruptive and unproductive behavior, and he made several attempts to quit without succeeding." (Source: Source: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mds.20787/abstract)

That sure explained things to me! Granted, it changes nothing with her punding, although the computer has been replaced by a tablet and she's relinquished control over the vitamins to me, but at least I know what's going on and why, and it enables me to be more understanding, although, admittedly, there are still times when it's driving me crazy!

Wow that's very interesting and thank you for sharing. I too spend alot of time on the computer talking with others who have PD. But I think in my case it's more because I have a lot of free time on my hands.
I don't neglect myself or my wife however. In fact I help with the cooking and cleaning when up to it. My wife is also disabled and it takes the 2 of us to do the work of one.My mom also lives with us and she 90yrs old and can't do a whole lot, but does help in many ways.
My wife calls our house the nursing home lol but I wouldn't change a thing !

SandHabor3, Thanks again for that info. That may explain some of my actions/feelings.

Vic

You're welcome, Vic. :-)

Good evening all.

Just read this thread and Wow! The light bulb over my head just lit up. I did take Mirapex for a while. I quit taking it because it made me "nuts!" It would alleviate my symptoms for about a week and then my symptoms would return. The main problem was my inability to sleep and marathon television consumption - up to 60 hours at a stretch. Now that I think about it, I did spend a lot of money.

The definition of "Punding" I find interesting. I find some similarities in my own behavior, but not as severe as was described. However, it is something that I will be aware of from now on and will try to keep under control. Thank you for the information SandHarbor3. I am going to pull up the link you attached and show my husband that there is an explanation for some of my obsessive and agitated behavior.

I thank The man above for leading me to this forum and the people who populate it - you have made a great difference in my life. I felt so isolated before and now I have way to express my fears, my tears, and my cheers! Thank you to each and every one of you.

Ever grateful,

Madge

I was fairly OCD to start with -- but I keep a hand calendar, and a notebook next to my computer and write things down I have to do (checking off when finished) -- and then write down the things I do that are "extra"

This helps me if I have a bad day, to go back and look at what I did (or overdid). But I am OCD in that I have to straighten the table stuff in restaurants, adjust crooked photos at the drs, and in the way I do tasks.

I can go outside my comfort zone! Not drug related, just "Annie"

Madge,

I'm glad the info. re: punding is helpful to you and hope that it is to your husband as well. Personally, I always find it easier to handle and cope with things if I know what I'm dealing with, be it a medical condition, inter-personal relationship issues, etc. We're here for you....although I was gone for about a year (parental crises) and hope to help each other on this journey which those of you with PD and we caregivers, too, are on.

Please don't lose hope. We all have bad days filled with tears and sadness. Stay strong and courageous!

Fondly,
Iris

Thank you, Iris, for the encouragement and the spot on info. I love reading your posts. You never fail to give me a new perspective on an issue.

Madge

Very interesting info. I was on Requip for about 5 months. Guess I was lucky. The only noticeable side effect was feeling half dazed all the time. And it did significantly help my symptoms for the full 5 months. As a matter of fact, the 3.5 months I took both it and Sinimet helped the most with symptoms. I've been worse on just the Sinimet since April.

But the punding thing makes me wonder. Especially since PD starts many years before symptoms show up, one number is 20 years. I've always spent a lot of time on the computer. My wife always complained it was too much. When I started writing fiction in 2005-2006, after working all day I'd stay up until 4 am working on it, get about 4 hours of sleep before getting up to do it all over again. I just considered it my second job that doesn't pay much...yet, in hopes to establish a retirement income.

I pretty much kept that kind of schedule until 2011. I hated it when responsibilities pulled me away from my writing. Even lately I've been feeling depressed some because of the last two productive years of writing I had before PD slowed it down to a crawl was zapped from dealing with my wife's infidelity. Last year I was more productive, but this year zilch, for a number of reasons. I feel like I lost something important.

Now I'm wondering if maybe I was this way for the last 20 years (pretty much the entire time I had a computer first in 1991) because of PD and punding issues. But of course I wouldn't have known that then. But I always felt writing was my life, and I wanted to do it deep into old age. Now that looks less likely. Maybe not impossible, but a lot of it has to do with what symptoms manifest themselves, like dementia.

But my wife would say this explains a lot.

Madge, thank you very much for your kind reply. :-)

Cole50, I don't know if your writing is a sign of punding. Perhaps it's just a passion and/or escape that you thoroughly enjoyed. I'd consider an activity to be punding if it interferes with one's life, including health...more like an obsession that comes at a price. Not to compare you with my father, but he loved spending time on his computer since he's been retired. He had started as an engineer and loved to sketch; over the years, he climbed the corporate ladder and became a successful and much-respected business executive. He always wanted to paint when he retired yet, along the way, he discovered a love and talent for writing (which has also been my lifelong passion, which I incorporated into my profession) and ended up becoming a published author of two books in the past 10 years, one of which was even purchased by several museum book stores. In between, he also developed an interest in converting his home movies of family vacations which led to yet another new passion, namely, making new movies, 33 of which he posted on YouTube and have had thousands of viewings. In short, my father didn't have PD, and took no meds. that would lead to punding, OCD, or such; he simply discovered new passions, which were critical for him to achieve a sort of balance with the increasing care required by my mother. It also helped keep his depression manageable, which depression set in when my mother's health declined. I hope you'll continue to pursue your passions....Just please make time for your family, your health, etc. :-)

One more thing just occurred to me, Cole50. There's software for which I've seen some advertising on TV a few months back that enables one to speak and the software converts it into written text. It's called Dragon software. While it can't help with cognitive symptoms that may arise with PD (although it in all cases), it may provide an assist on days when you want to write but your fine motor skills make typing difficult.

Oops...second line from the bottom should read: "...(although not in all cases)..."

Re: Dragon Software - one of my best friends has the progressive MS and uses this. Her posts and emails are well written. Sometimes it "mis-hears" and types a weird word, so you do have to edit a bit.

But it's great since she is virtually unable to do much from the neck down.