A common hypertension drug may help hundreds of thousands of people suffering from tremors caused by Parkinson’s disease, a study has found.
Standard Parkinson’s disease treatments do not always prevent the tremors that affect up to 90% of patients with the neurodegenerative disease.
This condition, in which the hands, jaw, and legs shake uncontrollably, is usually not disabling, but it can affect daily activities such as shaving, getting dressed, and writing.
Tremors are often worsened in stressful situations, but levodopa, the standard drug for treating this condition, tends to be less effective at these times and is unable to control tremors in 40% of patients. I couldn’t.
Instead, researchers at Radboud University in the Netherlands gave Parkinson’s patients propranolol, a beta-blocker that inhibits stress hormones, and used MRI scans to map their brain activity.
In all 27 patients in the trial, propranolol reduced tremors both at rest and during stress.
“We know that abnormalities in systems such as the dopamine system can cause tremors,” says Dr. Rick Helmich, a professor of neurology at Radboud University.
“Based on our research, we believe that the stress hormone noradrenaline acts as an amplifier, increasing the intensity of tremors in motor areas of the brain.”
A drug commonly used to treat high blood pressure may help patients with Parkinson’s disease, study finds (file photo)
Propranolol, a beta-blocker that inhibits stress hormones, was found to be effective in reducing tremors in patients (file photo)
“Propranolol inhibits the amplification of this effect and reduces symptoms.”
It is also used to treat patients with arrhythmia and is effective against essential tremor, where patients experience tremors without other neurological symptoms.
However, it can cause hypotension, so it is only recommended for patients in whom levodopa cannot prevent tremors.
Dr. Helmich is also researching lifestyle changes that may reduce symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. “It doesn’t take long for a stress response to be triggered and people to start shaking even more,” he says.
“It’s as simple as wondering, ‘Did I lock my front door?’ You can turn it off.
“We’re studying whether mindfulness can positively impact the stress system.”
