Widespread nature of drug-induced Parkinsonism highlighted by US consumer group

A new article published in WorstPills.org, part of the US consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, highlights the widespread nature of drug-induced Parkinsonism and the need for patients and doctors to be aware of the potential to be misdiagnosed.

The article includes a list of 49 prescription drugs known to cause drug-induced Parkinsonism, many of which are commonly-used antidepressants, antipsychotics and antihypertensives, as well as antiepileptics and a smoking cessation agent.

In another recently published study in Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery, researchers carefully examined 1,528 people with symptoms of Parkinsonism and found that 7.9% (120 patients) had clear, unequivocal evidence of drug-induced Parkinsonism.