Degenerative Disease Drugs Flashcards
Symptoms of Parkinson’s’
- Tremors
- Muscle rigidity
- Bradykinesia
- Postural instability
- Affective flattening
Parkinson’s
-Health Problems
1. Primarily affects muscle movement Pt's often experience other health issues: -Anxiety and depression -Sleep disturbances -Dementia -Autonomic nervous system disturbances
Parkinson’s
-Cause of Symptoms
- Degeneration and destruction of dopamine-producing neurons
in the SUBSTANTIA NIGRA portion of the brain - Corpus stratum
- normally controls unconsciousness muscle movement
Parkinson’s
-Part of the brain responsible to symptoms
Substantia nigra
Parkinson’s
-Neurotransmitters involved?
- Dopamine and acetylcholine in corpus striatum
- affect balance, posture
- affect muscle tone, involuntary movement
Parkinson’s
-Drug therapy action
- Restores dopamine function
- Blocks acetylcholine
- Extrapyramidal side effects (EPS
Extrapyramidal side effects?
Symptoms of:
1. Acute dystonia, akathisia, parkinsonism, and tardive dyskinesia
often caused by antipsychotic drugs
Anti-parkinsonism Agents
- Restore balance of dopamine and acetylcholine in brain
- Dopaminergic drugs
- Anti-cholinergics
Dopaminergic Drug Therapy
-Monitor/Contraindications
- Monitor hypotension and tachycardia
- Look for signs of drug toxicity
- Contraindicated in narrow-angle glaucoma
Dopaminergics
-Action
- Restore balance of dopamine and acetylcholine
Dopaminergic
-Examples
- Levodopa (Larodopa)
2. Levodopa and Carbidopa (Sinemet)
Dopaminergic Agent
-Prototype Drug
Levodopa (Larodopa)
- Mechanism:
- Increases biosynthesis of dopamine w/in nerve terminals - Primary use:
- Restore dopamine function or stimulate dopamine receptors w/in the brain
Dopaminergic Agents
-Adverse Effects
Dizziness, light-headedness, sleep dysfunction, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, constipation, orthostatic hypotension, dystonia, dyskinesia
Levodopa (Larodopa)
-Prototype Dopaminergic Drug
- Increases biosynthesis of dopamine w/in nerve terminals
2. Effectiveness boosted by combining w/ carbidopa (SINEMET)
Dopaminergic Agents:
-Pt Teaching
- Increase fiber and fluids
- Avoid food and drugs high in PYRIDOXINE
- May take several months for full effect
- Abruptly stopping the drug may cause Parkinsonism crisis