Parkinson Disease and Your Pharmacist

The National Parkinson Foundation sponsors many Parkinson Disease (PD) support groups. (Most people refer to Parkinson as Parkinson’s, but that is incorrect). I had the opportunity to visit a support group in Northern Virginia and found them to be a very friendly, supportive group. No matter how mild the PD, a support group can be very uplifting. Additionally, the speakers for the meeting give valuable information.

On the day I visited, one speaker was Ernest Dixon, RPH, owner of Centreville Medical Arts Pharmacy. He explained that PD is a degenerative disease mostly of the aged. There are over 1 million people in the United States and 4 million people worldwide with the disease. It is characterized by tremors, rigidity with stiffness and slowness, and postural instability, all because the nerves in the brain become impaired when it stops producing dopamine.

Early treatment is best and Ernest recommended the following:

Know yourself and your body. Know your medical provider and the medication prescribed, including side effects. Know your pharmacist. Build a relationship with the pharmacist.

Centreville Medical Arts Pharmacy is an independent pharmacy located in Northern Virginia. Ernest is a gregarious and friendly pharmacist who truly enjoys helping people. After his many years of experience with chain pharmacies, he decided he wanted to really work with people counseling them on their medication and not just filling prescriptions all day. In addition, the pharmacy is a “compounding pharmacy” meaning that they are able to “mix” drugs, such as changing the form of the medication from a pill to a liquid or to remove a non-essential ingredient that the patient might be allergic to.

Getting to know your pharmacist is a really good idea if you take many different kinds of prescription medication prescribed by different doctors so that the pharmacist can be on the lookout for any potential problems. Additionally, if you want to add over the counter medication to the mix, you need to talk to the pharmacist. Or, if you simply want to add high quality nutritional supplements such as vitamins, consult your pharmacist. A pharmacist like Ernest Dixon will be happy to give you professional advice. When we’re all surrounded by big chain pharmacies and pharmacies in supermarkets, it is refreshing to know that there are independent pharmacies with people like Ernest Dixon, RPH.





Tagged with: Centreville • Chain Pharmacies • Compounding Pharmacy • Degenerative Disease • Essential Ingredient • Independent Pharmacy • Medical Arts Pharmacy • Medical Provider • National Parkinson Foundation • Nerves In The Brain • Neves • Northern Virginia • Parkinson Disease • Pharmac • Pharmacist • Prescription Medication • Rigidity • Rph • Slowness • Stiffness • Supportive Group • Tremors

Filed under: Parkinson • Senior Health

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