The treatment of Parkinson's disease

In the management of Parkinson's disease physicians now have at their disposal a number of useful therapeutic tools (Figure 3). (Formula: see text) Anticholinergic drugs and amantadine suffice in the early stages of the disease when little disability is present. Levodopa combined with a peripheral decarboxylase inhibitor is the treatment of choice thereafter, and with the appearance of fluctuations it is necessary to increase the frequency of dosage of levodopa and to consider adding bromocriptine. Stereotactic surgery is useful in patients with severe tremor which is unresponsive to drug therapy.