In older patients they may cause confusion and aggravate dementia. Other side effects include difficulty in passing urine, constipation, blurred vision, dry mouth and the onset of narrow angle glaucoma . Anticholinergics are rarely used in Parkinson's treatment. Other drugs in development Many drugs are being developed for treatment of Parkinson's disease. Some of these drugs spare dopamine and work on different brain chemicals.
Examples are riluzole, adenosine antagonists, canabinoids and neuroimmunophilins.
Some drugs are being developed so that they can be adminstered in the form of a skin patch. A dietitian can also advise on better nutrition to avoid constipation. Depression, sleep problems and urinary difficulties are common in Parkinson's and may need specific treatment. Surgery Brain surgery, to structures deep within the brain known as the pallidum and the thalamus , has been shown to reduce symptoms in some patients. In this operation a group of nerve cells in the pallidum are destroyed.