Maryland Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center

Choosing the Correct Medications

Dr. Shulman examines patient.

Once the diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease has been made, the next decision is whether a patient should receive anti-parkinsonian medication, which depends on:

The degree of functional impairment
The degree of cognitive impairment
Ability to tolerate medication
The advice of the attending physician

No two patients react the same way to a given drug; therefore, it takes time and patience to find an appropriate medication and dosage to alleviate symptoms.

Many approaches are available for achieving the proper balance of anti-parkinson medication-treating symptoms effectively while minimizing unpleasant side effects. Many issues must be considered when making medication decisions.

For various reasons, many people prefer to take as little medication as possible, as late in the disease as possible, and most doctors prefer to prescribe the least amount of medication necessary. Every person with Parkinson's disease needs to follow a program of drug therapy specifically designed for that individual.

There are many reasons why a standard regimen of medications cannot be applied across the board to everyone with Parkinson's disease. This is another reason why your physician should be experienced in the treatment and management of Parkinson's disease.

This page was last updated on: March 27, 2008.

For more information about the University Physicians Consultation and Referral Service, please call 1-800-492-5538 (patients) or 1-800-373-4111 (physicians).