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Methodically manage pain in older patients with Parkinson’s disease

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Abstract

Pain is a common, but often overlooked, non-motor symptom of Parkinson’s disease (PD), with nociceptive pain being most common. Structured questionnaires may help clarify the origin, nature and impact of pain in patients with PD. Subject to comorbidities, polypharmacy and tolerability in older patients, recommended management includes optimisation of dopaminergic drugs, the use of safinamide or administration of analgesia, starting with paracetamol. Short-term oxycodone/naloxone, gabapentin or pregabalin may be needed in some patients.

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    Caroline Fenton & Arnold Lee

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  1. Caroline Fenton
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Correspondence to Arnold Lee.

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The preparation of this review was not supported by any external funding.

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C. Fenton a contracted writer for Adis International Ltd/Springer Nature, and A. Lee, a salaried employee of Adis International Ltd/Springer Nature, declare no relevant conflicts of interest. All authors contributed to the review and are responsible for the article content.

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Fenton, C., Lee, A. Methodically manage pain in older patients with Parkinson’s disease. Drugs Ther Perspect 39, 58–64 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40267-022-00972-0

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