HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Correspondence: Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when Correspondence are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Direnfeld, L. K. Articles by Kelly-Hayes, M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Direnfeld, L. K. Articles by Kelly-Hayes, M.

Is L-DOPA drug holiday useful?

Harold and Ellen Wald Neurological Unit, University Hospital, the Neurology Services, Boston Veterans Administration Medical Center, Braintree Hospital, and the Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA.

We studied nine patients with severe, chronic Parkinson disease and complications of long-term L-DOPA therapy. After a "holiday" of 3 to 21 days, excess dopamine effects improved in all patients, and the baseline parkinsonian picture emerged. After reinstitution of L-DOPA therapy, often at lower doses than had been used previously, parkinsonian signs improved. Complications of immobility were seen in two patients; one had deep vein thrombophlebitis, and the other became depressed. In treating the individual patient, the risks of immobility despite aggressive attempts to prevent complications should be weighed against the possible improvement of parkinsonism. These findings suggest that a holiday from L-DOPA therapy may extend the drug's usefulness in treating Parkinson disease, perhaps by resensitizing striatal dopamine receptors in patients receiving the drug for prolonged periods.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Feldman, Boston University Medical Center, 80 East Concord Street, Boston, MA 02118.

Presented at the thirty-first annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, Chicago, IL, April 1979.

Accepted for publication October 2, 1979.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. Laowattana, B. Abou-Khalil, T. Fakhoury, and D. Ashmead Brief antiepileptic drug withdrawal prolongs interval to next seizure Neurology, November 1, 1999; 53(8): 1736 - 1736. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				E. Melamed Initiation of Levodopa Therapy in Parkinsonian Patients Should Be Delayed Until the Advanced Stages of the Disease Arch Neurol, April 1, 1986; 43(4): 402 - 405. [Abstract] [PDF]