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Weekly drug holiday in Parkinson disease

Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Lukes Medical Center, Chicago, IL.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Goetz, Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush-Presbyterian, Lukes Medical Center, 1725 W. Harrison, Chicago, IL 60612.

patients with Parkinson disease and drug-related side effects entered an open-trial study in which they stopped all dopaminergic medications for 2 consecutive days each week. Nine of 17 patients could tolerate the cessation of dopaminergic medication, and all of them showed improvement of side effects during the drug holiday and often throughout the week. Patients who could not tolerate withdrawal of medication were identified within 3 weeks by increased tremor or bradykinesia. This at-home drug holiday offers a potential therapy applicable to large numbers of parkinsonian outpatients who suffer progressive drug-related side effects.

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