Objectives: To evaluate the role of herbal medicine in drug-induced parkinsonism (DIP) and identify an optimal treatment approach.
Design: Retrospective review of DIP cases treated with herbal medicine.
Settings/location: The Parkinson's clinic at Kyung Hee Traditional Korean Medicine Hospital, Korea.
Patients: Twenty-one patients whose clinical outcome and offending drug could be identified.
Outcome measures: Clinical features, treatments, and outcomes and summarized the clinical course and treatment in each case.
Results: Twelve patients had levosulpiride-induced parkinsonism and 9 had parkinsonism induced by another drug. The offending drugs were discontinued in all patients, and all patients received herbal medications during treatment. Nine of 12 patients with parkinsonism from levosulpiride and 4 of 9 patients with parkinsonism from other drugs had complete reversal of symptoms. The most frequently used herbal formula was Ukgansan (Yigansan). DIP in the levosulpiride group tended to improve faster with herbal medicine, and the percentage of improvement was higher.
Conclusions: Optimal herbal medicine treatments chosen after a careful history and evaluation for risk factors may be helpful in reversing DIP.