ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Effective therapy for Parkinson’s disease (PD) has existed for over 45 years. Currently, levodopa, the precursor to dopamine, remains the most consistently effective symptomatic treatment. Pharmacological treatments, such as dopamine agonists and monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors, augment and replace endogenous dopamine loss. Other treatments such as anticholinergic medications and amantadine often help symptoms through nondopaminergic mechanisms. Numerous other medications such as antidepressants and antipsychotics are used to treat specific symptoms in PD.
