Medications for Parkinson's Disease: In a Nutshell (Nursing)

00:01 Okay, so in a nutshell, let's wrap this up that Parkinson's is a progressive disease.

00:06 Neurons in the substantia nigra supply dopamine to the striatum.

00:10 In Parkinson's disease the neurons in the substantia nigra are damaged and they can't supply dopamine adequately that's why we end up with the imbalance.

00:19 The imbalance in the neurotransmitter’s acetylcholine and dopamine in the brain causes a decline in the patient's ability to control their movement.

00:27 We don't have any cure for the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

00:31 Our goal is just to improve their motor control and their quality of life.

00:35 Now, there are 6 type of medications that are currently used to treat Parkinson's disease.

00:39 We've got those listed for you there.

00:42 Remember we start off with something for mild symptoms with MAO-B then if they get more severe, we'll use levodopa and levodopa with carbidopa.

00:51 Now drugs are selected based on the severity of symptoms and the impact on the patient's daily life.

00:56 Thank you for watching our video today.