Levodopa-induced Dyskinesias and Their Management N Epidemiology

Following a period of stable response to dopaminergic medication (the “honeymoon” period), Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients gradually develop two progressive clinical phenomena requiring changes in the clinical management: motor fluctuations and dyskinesias. These two phenomena are intrinsically interconnected, but often require opposite treatment attitudes, because increases of dopaminergic treatment often improve fluctuations, but worsen dyskinesias. A possible solution to this dilemma resides in the administration of additional anti-dyskinetic medication; unfortunately, however, drugs with enough anti-dyskinetic potency have not yet been developed.