With ongoing Levodopa therapy for months or more commonly, a few years of treatment, two major types of motor complications tend to arise: motor fluctuations and dyskinesias. Motor fluctuations are variations in mobility associated with the effectiveness of levodopa when patients can tell when their medications kick in and wear off (the short duration response [...]
Amantadine is also an older medication that was initially developed to help prevent influenza Type A. It was subsequently found to have a mild but definite effect on Parkinson’s without worsening typical symptoms. More recently, it has been found to be helpful in reducing levodopa-induced dyskinesias and now is predominantly used in advanced Parkinson’s disease [...]
Fortunately, there are more advanced options to consider if medical therapies do not seem to alleviate the symptoms of dyskinesia: Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Deep brain stimulation (DBS) should be considered for patients who have disabling motor fluctuations and dyskinesias despite optimal medication therapy or severe medication-refractory tremor. Surgery should not be unnecessarily delayed when [...]
Although both dyskinesia and OFF episodes are common aspects of living with Parkinson's disease and become more prevalent later in the disease course. Levodopa-induced dyskinesia often involves involuntary muscle movements such as twitches, jerks, twisting and writhing. While "OFF" time occurs when Levodopa is wearing off and the patient has less control of their [...]
