The management of the levodopa psychoses

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is frequently associated with psychiatric problems. Depression generally responds to antidepressant medications or to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The nondepressive psychoses generally require a reduction in parkinsonian medications, or possibly a "drug holiday." In patients whose psychosis fails to respond to a reduction in medication or who cannot tolerate the worsening parkinsonism, an antipsychotic drug should be added. Clozapine is probably the drug of choice, with low potency neuroleptics being second-line options.