Antiparkinsonian Agents : Clinically Significant Drug Interactions and Adverse Effects, and Their Management

The treatment of Parkinson's disease for most patients entails long term exposure to multiple agents, including anticholinergics, levodopa, amantadine, dopamine receptor agonists, catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitors, selegiline (deprenyl) and clozapine. Patients with Parkinson's disease require medication for the control of the motor symptoms of their condition, for related medical or psychiatric symptoms of the disorder, and for concurrent medical problems, such as hypertension or cardiac disease.All these agents may cause adverse effects. There is a potential for drug-drug interactions between different antiparkinsonian agents and between antiparkinsonian medication and the other drugs a patient may be taking. Clinicians caring for patients with Parkinson's disease must be knowledgable about the potential adverse effects and drug interactions of an expanding array of medications for this condition.