Do not abruptly discontinue/modify Parkinson’s disease therapy.
According to recent evidence, therapy with anti-Parkinsonian drugs is inappropriately discontinued or modified in a large percentage (up to 75%) of patients with Parkinson’s disease who are admitted to emergency or non-neurological hospital wards. This is one of the factors that may lead to a worse outcome in patients with Parkinson’s disease who undergo operative procedures compared to age-matched controls. Anti-Parkinsonian therapy should not be discontinued or abruptly modified without the advice of the neurologist, who may optimise the therapy intake to some extent on a case-by-case basis, e.g., by potentiating transdermal drugs if the patient needs remain fasting in the pre-operative phase.
Sources
1. Magdalinou KN, Martin A, Kessel B. Prescribing medications in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients during acute admissions to a District General Hospital. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2007;13:539–540.
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PDFAttention. Please note that these items are provided only for information and are not intended as a substitute for consultation with a clinician. Patients with any specific questions about the items on this list or their individual situation should consult their clinician.
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