Keeping Track of Your Parkinson's Disease Medications

Keeping a diary of your medication schedule when starting a new drug or adjusting the dosing of your current medications can be a good way to help you and your doctor make the right decisions about your treatment.

A diary could record which medications you are taking each day, when your medication is and isn't effective, as well as any side effects you may experience. It may also be useful to keep a record of your diet if your symptom control is affected by meals.

Share these observations with your doctor. The more information you are able to provide, the easier it will be to tailor treatment to your needs.

The types of information that can be recorded in a diary include:

	the times of day when you take your Parkinson's medications
	the times of day when you have good symptom control
	which symptoms re-emerge during the day and when
	what symptoms you experience at night
	any complications you may experience, such as dyskinesia, and their relation to when you take your medication

It can also be useful to note the timing of meals and snacks and whether this affects your symptom control.

As part of your assessment of wearing-off, you may find it useful to rate each of your Parkinson's disease symptoms. For example, identify which symptoms are the most troublesome and how they affect your daily life.

Some people find it useful to rate their symptoms numerically. Other people might prefer to assess their symptoms more descriptively. The important thing is to use a scale that you are comfortable with and that is meaningful for you.

A diary will not only help with assessing symptom patterns, but also with tracking your progress after your medications have been updated. Charting and rating your symptoms will provide you with an accurate long-term record to look back on in the future and better insight into any fluctuations you may experience.

To help them, your doctor or other healthcare professionals may also want to keep a copy of your diary in your medical notes.

We have provided a daily medication schedule for you to print and use; alternatively, you may prefer to produce one yourself, based on these recommendations.