What do I need to do before starting a long-term anti-Parkinson’s drug?

  Parkinson’s disease is a chronic disease, and before starting long-term anti-Parkinson’s disease, we need to make the necessary preparations to obtain lasting results and reduce the risk of side effects.  The first is a clear diagnosis: a systematic and detailed examination should be performed to identify Parkinson’s disease as accurately as possible from other similar diseases, such as Parkinson’s syndrome, idiopathic tremor, cerebrovascular disease, and orthopedic disease. The differences in these diseases are relatively small in the early stages and require the necessary tests to detect the telltale signs, such as performing PET tests for brain dopamine transporter proteins. If medication is taken without examination, unexpected adverse reactions and consequences may occur.  The second is to clarify the extent and type of Parkinson’s disease. There are different types of Parkinson’s disease, for example, some patients have predominantly tremor and some patients have predominantly tonicity, and the medication is different. Treatment also differs at different stages of Parkinson’s, such as early or late stage. This requires the judgment of an experienced specialist, including the necessary tests and assessments.  The third is to check if there are some underlying diseases that are not suitable for taking medication. For example, patients with closed-angle glaucoma and melanoma are not suitable for taking Medroba, and elderly patients with diminished intelligence are prone to hallucinations when taking amantadine and Antan.  The fourth is the short-term drug efficacy evaluation by the specialist, and the reasonable selection of long-term drug types and doses. The specialist will first select a drug based on the results of previous medication taken by the patient and your characteristics. This drug may be theoretically suitable for a specific patient, but whether it is indeed effective and safe will be known only after the patient takes the drug. This can be done by having a specialist evaluate the efficacy and adverse effects when the patient takes the drug for the first time to determine if the drug can be taken for a long time. This method is more accurate, scientific and safe than the patient’s own feeling.