Antiparkinson Drugs Flashcards
Parkinson disease
degenerative disorder
What is the problem with Parkinson’s disease
Imbalance of dopamine and ACh
-Dopamine is decreased, ACh is increased
What are the signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease
THINK TRAP+drooling
Tremor
Rigidity (involuntary muscle contraction)
Akinesia (Can’t move)
Postural instability
Drooling
Staggering gait (cant walk)
Psychosis/hallucinations
Dyskinesia
Difficulty in performing involuntary movements occurs when too much dopamine is present
Two types:
Chorea: irregular spasmodic involuntary movements of the limbs or facial muscles
Dystonia:
Abnormal muscle tone leading to impaired or abnormal movements
Levodopa therapy
Dopamine replacement drug, it does not get destroyed in the brain it converts to dopamine
What is the on-off phenomenon
Results is worsening of the disease with two little dopamine that is present and dyskinesia comes back 
Wearing off phenomenon
When antiparkinson’s disease medication stops working, this occurs years after drug therapy
Levodopa-carbidopa
(Sinemat, Azilect)
-Given together carbidopa decreases nausea that is caused by levodopa
-Best taken on an empty stomach, take with food to decrease GI affects
Adverse effects and contraindications of Levodopa-carbidopa
-cardiac dysrhymias
-contraindicated in pt w/ closed angle glaucoma (increase intraocular pressure)
-use cautiously w/ open angle g
Rasagiline and selegiline (both are MAOI)
(Ruh-sa-juh-leen)
(Suh-ledge-uh-leen)
antiparkinson
AE: hypotension
Catechol Ortho-mathyltransferase (COMT) inhibitiors medications and adverse effects
prolong duration of action of levodopa and decrease wearing off
-Tolcapone (toll-ca-pone)
-Entacapone (en-tac-ca-pone)
AE:
Urine discoloration
Liver failure check for jaundice with these patients
What has tolcapone been associated with
Liver failure
Pramipexole
(Pram-uh-pexs-ol)
-used in early and late stages of Parkinson disease
- also used for restless leg syndrome
What do anticholinergic drugs do?
blocks the effects of ACh
Why do we give anticholinergic drugs to patients w/ parkinsons disease?
decreases ACh in these patients
EX: benztropine
