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Levodopa or Dopamine Agonists

William J. Weiner, MD

Arch Neurol. 2004;61:1966-1969.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

The treatment of patients with Parkinson disease is an art. If the clinical science were so clear, there would not be the continued "controversy" articles published. Is this debate concerning initial choice of symptomatic therapeutic agents relevant to the care of patients with Parkinson disease? Under most circumstances, if the neurologist had to choose between drug A and B for a given condition and drug A was known to be safe, efficacious, associated with fewer adverse events, few drug interactions, was easier for the patient to use, easier for the clinician to prescribe, and was cheaper, why would the neurologist start with drug B? This is an interesting question, which relates to concern about "neuroprotection," concern about better long-term management of Parkinson disease, and nonmedical influences that relate to prescribing practices.

INITIAL TREATMENT

At the initial diagnosis of Parkinson disease, the neurologist should discuss with the patient and . . . [Full Text of this Article]

NEUROLOGISTS AND THEORY

CONCERNS ABOUT NEUROPROTECTION

CONCERN ABOUT BETTER LONG-TERM MANAGEMENT OF PARKINSON DISEASE

NONMEDICAL INFLUENCES ON CHOICE OF TREATMENT

INITIAL SYMPTOMATIC TREATMENT FOR EARLY PARKINSON DISEASE

AUTHOR INFORMATION
Author Affiliation: Department of Neurology, Maryland Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorder Center, University of Maryland Medicine, Baltimore.

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