Drug Concerns for Parkinson’s Patients

According to an article recently published in the Wall Street Journal, powerful anti-psychotic drugs are routinely prescribed to elderly people with Parkinson's disease, despite warnings about the associated risks of using this type of medication when treating aging populations.
Most well known for affecting motor function, symptoms of Parkinson’s disease extend past the physical realm. Documented occurrences of psychological disturbances are often reported in patients during the later stages of PD, compounding the typical changes that occur in the aging mind.
There are currently no PD-specific anti-psychotic drugs, leaving doctors with a guessing game as to which drugs best treat Parkinson-induced psychotic symptoms. Many doctors are turning to a family of drugs with approved uses for schizophrenia and other psychotic conditions; drugs which contain little or no clinical basis for efficacy in treating PD symptoms.
The article urges clinicians to become more educated on what they are prescribing, but stresses that it is ultimately up to the patient and caregiver to be passionately engaged in their care.

http://ping.fm/Oeppa