When is Parkinson's disease effective?

The timing of the start of treatment for Parkinson's disease emphasizes the combination of the patient's individual condition based on general principles. The same degree of limb tremor may have significant differences in the impact of a retired Parkinson's disease patient and a busy middle-aged Parkinson's disease patient. The former can appropriately postpone the timing of starting the medication, and the latter may start the treatment in time. Of course, starting treatment should also choose drugs with less risk of long-term complications, such as dopamine receptor agonists, to avoid the side effects of large doses of levodopa.

In contrast to some patients with Parkinson's disease who start treatment too early when the symptoms are mild, a large number of patients with Parkinson's disease overdose treatment due to fear of levodopa. This tendency is also common among some medical personnel.

Although long-term treatment with levodopa may induce a series of motor complications in patients with Parkinson's disease, the main cause of this complication is disease progression because pharmacological doses of levodopa do not cause neurotoxicity. Levodopa formulations can bring significant benefits to people with Parkinson's disease, such as improved quality of life, increased working ability, and longevity. Therefore, both domestic and overseas guidelines for Parkinson's disease recommend that elderly patients with Parkinson's disease with obvious symptoms (especially those with significant bradykinesia and muscle rigidity) should be treated with levodopa in time.

Currently, in addition to levodopa agents, antiparkinsonian drugs include dopamine receptor agonists, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, amantadine, and anticancer drugs, which should be appropriately selected according to the specific circumstances of the patient. For patients with Parkinson's disease who have higher work and living ability and younger age, non-levodopa agents can be selected to start treatment in time, which is expected to reduce the risk of levodopa-induced complications.

The treatment of Parkinson's disease has no etiological treatment at this stage. It is mainly symptomatic treatment. Symptomatic treatment of Parkinson's disease should follow the principles of safety, long-term efficacy, and stability. In determining the timing of the start of treatment of Parkinson's disease, the need to balance the efficacy and adverse reactions, the recent improvement and long-term complications, combined with the patient's age, degree of illness, type, functional requirements and other factors weighing the advantages and disadvantages.