To treat, or not to treat.

The topic of treatment for diseases often becomes very tricky to discuss, as it really depends on the situation that the patient is in, and their own bias on the effectiveness of treatments. Since I have personally never been in a position like that myself, it becomes very difficult to make a decision as to what would be the right thing to do for the patients with Parkinson's.

Parkinson's, as we've all seen, is not an easy disease to deal with. Parkinson's takes over the control of the body's motor skills, and results in tremors, and rigidness in the body. Parkinson's is deadly because, unlike a cancer which will cause a great amount of pain, Parkinson's actually hinders our body's functions on a daily basis. Patients with Parkinson's are unable to properly do the things that they can normally do, such as type, or brush their teeth, or even just drinking a glass of water. In this sense, Parkinson's may even be seen as a disease worse than cancer. Fortunately, there is a treatment for Parksinson's, and if it is successful, then the patients are able to get their lives back almost to the way it was before. However, the treatment also comes with side effects, and risks that may not be worth the success.

                          

Speaking from a person who has had a bit of experience behind the counter of a pharmacy, I can definitely say that drugs are a dangerous thing to deal with. Even though there are drugs that work miracles for patients, and they are able to really help the patients with getting their lives back on track, more times than not, drugs create more problems that they solve. Unfortunately, drugs are only meant as a treatment to the symptoms of certain diseases and illnesses, and doesn't usually cure the problem itself. This then, easily results to patients increasing dosages and the amount of drugs they are getting as their symptoms are increasing and the medication is becoming less effective, as well as an addiction to their medication, or horrible side effects that the medication brings. It turns into a vicious cycle that patients can't escape, as they continue to rely on drugs for the rest of their diseased life. Therefore, being as torn as I am about using treatment for Parkinson's, all I can really do in the end is to support  the patient's decision as to what they choose to due regarding their disease.

If the patient is aware of the side effects that come with their treatment, but are willing to go bear through it in order to get their life back on track because they might have others that rely on them, then I am completely behind them on their decision.
On the other hand, if the patient doesn't want to deal with the side effects that come along with the medication, then there are always other options they can choose to at least make their symptoms a little easier to deal with.