Excessive daytime sleepiness and levodopa in Parkinson's disease: polygraphic, placebo-controlled monitoring

Clin Neuropharmacol. 2003 May-Jun;26(3):115-8. doi: 10.1097/00002826-200305000-00003.

Abstract

The authors performed 72-hour polysomnography, including a levodopa-placebo-controlled choice reaction time test with continuous monitoring of cardiovascular variables in two patients with Parkinson's disease complaining of excessive daytime sleepiness on levodopa monotherapy. The subacute levodopa challenge was accompanied by physiologic sleep episodes, worsened reaction times, and a reduction in mean blood pressure and heart rate over baseline values, linked temporally to the sleep episodes.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Antiparkinson Agents / adverse effects*
  • Antiparkinson Agents / therapeutic use
  • Blood Pressure / drug effects
  • Disorders of Excessive Somnolence / chemically induced*
  • Heart Rate / drug effects
  • Humans
  • Levodopa / adverse effects*
  • Levodopa / therapeutic use
  • Male
  • Parkinson Disease / drug therapy*
  • Polysomnography
  • Reaction Time / drug effects
  • Sleep / drug effects

Substances

  • Antiparkinson Agents
  • Levodopa