Thursday, 12 November 2015

1. INTRODUCTION
Parkinson’s disease is the second most common chronic neurodegenerative condition affecting especially people above the age of sixty. It is characterised by slowness of movement, muscle rigidity, tremor and postural instability. Although the motor features are predominantly used for the diagnosis, the disease is now regarded as a neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric syndrome with multitude of motor and non- motor symptoms. The gastro intestinal tract is one of the first organs to be affected in Parkinson’s disease. Constipation and olfactory dysfunctions can occur many years before the motor signs appear.
A degree of dysphagia is universal in Parkinson’s disease but causes no problem at the early stages of the disease. However, this tends to get worse as the disease progresses. It is not uncommon for Parkinson’s patients to experience worsened swallowing during an acute illness. An alternative treatment regimen is often necessary in such circumstance depending on whether the patients are on a dysphagic diet, nil by mouth or on nasogastric feeding.
This guideline sets out the principles of managing the dysphagic Parkinson patient in an acute setting. This will ensure that Parkinson’s patients presenting with dysphagia will receive an appropriate alternative regimen and avoidance of complications of acute withdrawal of essential Parkinson’s medicines.
Parkinson’s patients presenting with swallowing difficulties are usually in the advanced stage of the disease and often have other comorbidities. Effective management of dysphagic Parkinson’s patients requires a multidisciplinary approach to reduce the associated morbidity and mortality and the length of hospital stay.
2. SCOPE OF DOCUMENT
This clinical document applies to:
Staff group(s)
  • Trust’s Parkinson’s Team (Consultants, middle grade doctors and parkinson’s
    specialist nurses)
  • Doctors
  • Registered nurses
  • Pharmacists and medicine management technicians
    Clinical area(s)
All in-patient clinical areas across Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS
Foundation Trust (KMH, NH, MCH) caring for and treating adult patients. Patient group(s)
Adult patients 18 and above
Exclusions
Paediatrics under the age of 18
Obstetric and maternity patients
Related Trust policies and guidelines and/or other Trust documents

1. Consentpolicy
2. MentalCapacitypolicy.
3. DEFINITIONS AND/OR ABBREVIATIONS
Trust: Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Staff: All employees of the Trust including those managed by a third party on

behalf of the Trust PD Parkinson’s disease
NBM Nil by Mouth
NG Nasogastric tube
HCOP Health Care of the Older Person COMT Catechol-O-methyl transferase

4. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The management of patients with Parkinson’s disease and swallowing difficulties requires a multidisciplinary approach supervised by a Parkinson’s specialist team member.
The medical team has the responsibility for the overall management of the patient. The medical team will hold responsibility for all prescribing issues and will liaise with Speech and Language Therapists (SALT), Pharmacists and Parkinson’s team in provision of appropriate treatment for the patient.
The Parkinson’s team is responsible for providing specialist assessment, advice and direct patient interactions and will promote the application of this guideline to the care of individual patients.
The medical team has the responsibility to ensure that the correct lawful consent has been gained and documented in appropriate setting. If capacity is in doubt, a two- stage test should be undertaken. If the patient is found to lack capacity, complete the best interest checklist and plan care in their best interests. Please see the Trust’s “Consent Policy” and “Mental Capacity Act Policy” for further information.
5. GUIDELINE
Please make an urgent pink form referral to Parkinson’s team – Please fax this to
MAOB Monoamine oxidase B
KMH Kings Mill Hospital
NH Newark Hospital
MCH Mansfield Community Hospital
SALT Speech and Language Therapist
HCOP Secretary-3587 (internal)
Seek advice from the ward Pharmacists if necessary
Do not stop Parkinson’s medications suddenly except followings as this can lead to serious withdrawal problems.
Medications that can safely be omitted until able to swallow are

COMT inhibitors - entacapone / tolcapone MAOB inhibitors - selegiline/ rasagiline amantadine
Do not prescribe medications that can worsen Parkinson’s symptoms - metoclopramide, haloperidol, prochlorperazine.
Ondansetron can be used in patient’s where an anti-sickness is necessary (This is preferred to cyclizine)

If on apomorphine continue as prescribed. Seek advice from the Pharmacist. 
Refer to the flow chart below for immediate management options
Request an urgent Speech and Language Therapy assessment And follow the flow chart







































Table 1
Guidance on Crushing tablets
Medicine Name
Standard release dopamine agonist (Pramipexole and Ropinirole)
Advice
Use same dose and timing (crushed and disperse)
Convert total dopamine agonist dose into equivalent Rotigotine dose
Refer to Table 3
Prolonged release dopamine agonist (Mirapexin PR and Requip XL)
Levodopa (co-beneldopa/ co-careldopa and Stalevo)
Similar dose but convert to standard release formula and administer in three divided doses (crushed and disperse) - See Table 5
Use dispersible Madopar (crushed and disperse) – Please refer to Table 4
Crushing of tablets should only be considered for short-term use only until the patient reviewed by the PD team.
Do not cruse prolong release formula.
Table 2
Conversion of Levodopa into Rotigotine transdermal patch
co-careldopa & co-beneldopa (Madopar / Sinemet)
Starting Rotigotine Dose
co-careldopa + entacapone - (Stalevo) (according to the co-careldopa dose)
Starting Rotigotine Dose
up to 62.5 mg TDS
2mg/24hrs
up to 50mg TDS
2mg/24hrs
above 62.5mg TDS up to 62.5mg QDS
4mg/24hrs
above 50mg TDS up to 75mg TDS
4mg/24hrs
above 62.5mg QDS up to 125mg TDS
6mg/24hrs
above 75mg TDS up to 100mg TDS
6mg/24hrs
above 125mg TDS up to 125mg QDS
8mg/24hrs
above 100mg TDS up to 100mg QDS
8mg/24hrs
above 125mg QDS up to 187.5mg QDS
10mg/24hrs
above 100mg QDS up to 150 QDS
10mg/24hrs
above 187.5mg QDS
12mg/24hrs
above 150mg QDS
12mg/24hrs
Table 3
Conversions of oral dopamine agonist into Rotigotine transdermal patch
Pramipexole
(Base)
Pramipexole Prolonged release (Base)
Ropinirole
Ropinirole XL
Rotigotine Patch
88micrograms TDS
260micrograms OD
Starter pack
2mg/24hrs
180micrograms TDS
520micrograms OD
1mg TDS
4mg OD
4mg/24hrs
350micrograms TDS
1.05mg OD
2mg TDS
6mg OD
6mg/24hrs
530micrograms TDS
1.57mg OD
3mg TDS
8mg OD
8mg/24hrs
700micrograms TDS
2.1 mg OD
4mg TDS
12mg OD
10-12mg/24hrs
880micrograms TDS
2.62mg OD
6mg TDS
16mg OD
14mg/24hrs
Please use the pramipexole BASE formulation dose for conversion as above Refer to BNF / Seek Pharmacist’s help
Table 4
Calculating equivalent dispersible Madopar® dosing
You can use one tablet of dispersible Madopar 125mg instead of 2 tablet of dispersible Madopar 62.5mg tablets. (4 X 62.5mg dispersible Madopar = 2 x125mg dispersible Madopar)
Co-Careldopa (carbidopa/ levodopa) Sinemet; including CR
Dispersible Madopar dose
Co-Beneldopa (benserazide/levodopa) Madopar; including CR
Dispersible Madopar dose
Co-Careldopa + entacapone Stalevo;
Dispersible Madopar dose
62.5mg (12.5/50)
62.5mg (12.5/50)
62.5mg (12.5/50)
62.5mg (12.5/50)
50mg (50/12.5/200)
62.5mg (12.5/50)
110mg (10/100)
2x 62.5mg
125mg (25/100)
2 x 62.5mg
75mg 75/18.75/200
2 x 62.5mg
125mg (25/100)
2x 62.5mg
250mg (50/200)
4 X 62.5mg
100mg 100/25/200
2X 62.5mg
275mg (25/250)
5X 62.5mg
CR-125mg (25/100)
2 x 62.5mg
125mg 125/31.25/200
2 x 62.5mg
CR-125mg (25/100)
2x 62.5mg
150mg 150/37.5/200
3 x 62.5mg
CR-250mg (50/200)
4X 62.5mg
175mg 175/43.75/200
3 x 62.5mg
200mg 200/50/200
4 x 62.5mg
Eg – co-beneldopa 125 mg TDS = dispersible Madopar 125 mg TDS or 2 X 62.5 mg TDS
Table 5
Conversion of XL dopamine agonist in to standard release agonist
Pramipexole Prolonged release (Base)
Pramipexole standard release (Base)
Ropinirole Prolonged release
260micrograms OD
88micrograms TDS
2mg OD
520micrograms OD
180micrograms TDS
4mg OD
1.05mg OD
350micrograms TDS
6mg OD
1.57mg OD
530micrograms TDS
8mg OD
2.1 mg OD
700micrograms TDS
12mg OD
2.62mg OD
880micrograms TDS
16mg OD
Ropinirole standard releas
0.5mg TDS
1mg TDS 2mg TDS 3mg TDS 4mg TDS 6mg TDS
6. EVIDENCE BASE / REFERENCES
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  1. Switching dopamine agonist in advanced Parkinson disease; Rapid titration; Christopher G,Goetz, Lucy Blasucci, Glenn T: American Academy of Neurology 2006;1227-1229
  2. An overnight switch to Ropinirole therapy in patients with parkinson disease. Canesi M, Antonini A, Mariani CB, Tesei S, Barichella M. J of Neural Transmission;1999;106: 925-929
  3. Switching and combination of dopamine agonist. H Reichmann, B Herting, A Muller, U Sommer. Journal of Neural Transmission; 2006; 110:1393-1400
  4. Rotigotine for peri-operative management of Parkinson’s disease. Journal of
    Neural Transmission 2010; 117:855-859
  5. Goetz CG, Shannon KM, Tanner CM. Agonist substitution in advanced parkinson
    disease. Neurology 1989; 39:1121-1122
  6. Rotigotine transdermal system for perioperative administration. AD Corczyn, H
    Reichmann, B Boroojerdi. J Neural Transmission 2006;114:219-221
  7. Overnight switch from oral dopamine agonist to transdermal Rotigotine in
    Parkinson Disease. Peter A, Babk B, Douglas M. Clinical
    Neuropharmacology.2007:30:256-264
  8. Parkinson study group. A controlled trial of Rotigotine monotherapy in early
    Parkinson’s disease. Arch Neurol 2003;60;1721-1728
  9. British National Formulary
10. Temlett JA, Thompson PD. Reasons for admission to hospital for Parkinson’s
disease. Intern med J. 2006 Aug;36(8):524-6
11. Woodford H, Walker R. Emergency hospital admissions in idiopathic

Parkinson’s disease. Movement Disorder. 2005;20(9):1104-84.
12. Brennan KA, Genever RW. Managing Parkinson’s disease during surgery.

BMJ; 2006;1;341:990-993
13. Ramig L, Fox C, Sapir S. Speech Treatment for Parkinson disease. Expert Rev

Neurotherapeutics 2008; 8:299–311.
14. Parkinson’s Disease UK – Parkinson’s disease acute management 

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