MEDizzy - A 45-year-old woman complained of blurred vision, dry mouth,

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Drugs for Degenerative Disorders of the Central Nervous System

A 45-year-old woman complained of blurred vision, dry mouth, palpitations, and constipation. The patient was diagnosed with Parkinson disease 4 months earlier and had been receiving a levodopa/carbidopa com bination since then. Recently, her neurologist added a drug to the therapeutic regimen because of an increase in the patient’s resting tremor. Which of the following drugs most likely caused the patient’s symptoms?

ExplanationD The symptoms of the patient are typical adverse effects of antimuscarinic drugs, such as benztropine. These drugs had been used extensively in the past before the discovery of levodopa. Because of their undesirable adverse effect profile and poor efficacy, today they are usually reserved for the treatment of persisting resting tremor, particularly in younger patients, as in this case.