The Movement Disorder Society Evidence-Based Medicine Review Update: Treatments for the non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to evaluate the efficacy of melatonin for the treatment of insomnia in Parkinson's disease patients.
Results Summary
The study found insufficient evidence to conclude efficacy for melatonin (3-5 mg and 50 mg) in treating insomnia in Parkinson's disease patients. No significant adverse effects were reported, but safety was not explicitly assessed.
Population
Parkinson's disease patients with non-motor symptoms, specifically insomnia.
Effective Dosage
3-5 mg and 50 mg (frequency not specified).
Duration
Not specified (studies did not exceed 6 months).
Interactions
None mentioned.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
pramipexole | decrease | depressive symptoms | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | efficacious | #1 |
clozapine | decrease | psychosis | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | efficacious | #2 |
rivastigmine | decrease | dementia | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | efficacious | #3 |
botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) | decrease | sialorrhea | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | efficacious | #4 |
botulinum toxin B (BTX-B) | decrease | sialorrhea | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | efficacious | #5 |
glycopyrrolate | decrease | sialorrhea | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | efficacious | #6 |
glycopyrrolate | no change | sialorrhea | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | insufficient evidence exceeding 1 week | #7 |
nortriptyline | decrease | depression or depressive symptoms | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | likely efficacious | #8 |
desipramine | decrease | depression or depressive symptoms | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | likely efficacious | #9 |
macrogol | decrease | constipation | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | likely efficacious | #10 |
amitriptyline | no change | depression or depressive symptoms | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | insufficient evidence | #11 |
paroxetine | no change | depression or depressive symptoms | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | insufficient evidence | #12 |
citalopram | no change | depression or depressive symptoms | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | insufficient evidence | #13 |
sertraline | no change | depression or depressive symptoms | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | insufficient evidence | #14 |
fluoxetine | no change | depression or depressive symptoms | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | insufficient evidence | #15 |
atomoxetine | no change | depression or depressive symptoms | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | insufficient evidence | #16 |
nefazodone | no change | depression or depressive symptoms | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | insufficient evidence | #17 |
pergolide | no change | depression or depressive symptoms | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | insufficient evidence | #18 |
Ω-3 fatty acids | no change | depression or depressive symptoms | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | insufficient evidence | #19 |
repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) | no change | depression or depressive symptoms | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | insufficient evidence | #20 |
methylphenidate | no change | fatigue | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | insufficient evidence | #21 |
modafinil | no change | fatigue | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | insufficient evidence | #22 |
amantadine | no change | pathological gambling | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | insufficient evidence | #23 |
donepezil | no change | dementia | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | insufficient evidence | #24 |
galantamine | no change | dementia | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | insufficient evidence | #25 |
memantine | no change | dementia | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | insufficient evidence | #26 |
quetiapine | no change | psychosis | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | insufficient evidence | #27 |
fludrocortisone | no change | orthostatic hypotension | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | insufficient evidence | #28 |
domperidone | no change | orthostatic hypotension | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | insufficient evidence | #29 |
sildenafil | no change | erectile dysfunction | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | insufficient evidence | #30 |
ipratropium bromide spray | no change | sialorrhea | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | insufficient evidence | #31 |
levodopa/carbidopa controlled release (CR) | no change | insomnia | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | insufficient evidence | #32 |
pergolide | no change | insomnia | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | insufficient evidence | #33 |
eszopiclone | no change | insomnia | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | insufficient evidence | #34 |
melatonin 3 to 5 mg | no change | insomnia | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | insufficient evidence | #35 |
melatonin 50 mg | no change | insomnia | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | insufficient evidence | #36 |
modafinil | no change | excessive daytime sleepiness | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | insufficient evidence | #37 |
pergolide | no change | depression or depressive symptoms | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | not useful | #38 |
nefazodone | no change | depression or depressive symptoms | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | not useful | #39 |
olanzapine | no change | psychosis | patients with Parkinson's disease | - | not useful | #40 |
The Movement Disorder Society (MDS) Task Force on Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) Review of Treatments for Parkinson's Disease (PD) was first published in 2002 and was updated in 2005 to cover clinical trial data up to January 2004 with the focus on motor symptoms of PD. In this revised version the MDS task force decided it was necessary to extend the review to non-motor symptoms. The objective of this work was to update previous EBM reviews on treatments for PD with a focus on non-motor symptoms. Level-I (randomized controlled trial, RCT) reports of pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions for the non-motor symptoms of PD, published as full articles in English between January 2002 and December 2010 were reviewed. Criteria for inclusion and ranking followed the original program outline and adhered to EBM methodology. For efficacy conclusions, treatments were designated: efficacious, likely efficacious, unlikely efficacious, non-efficacious, or insufficient evidence. Safety data were catalogued and reviewed. Based on the combined efficacy and safety assessment, Implications for clinical practice were determined using the following designations: clinically useful, possibly useful, investigational, unlikely useful, and not useful. Fifty-four new studies qualified for efficacy review while several other studies covered safety issues. Updated and new efficacy conclusions were made for all indications. The treatments that are efficacious for the management of the different non-motor symptoms are as follows: pramipexole for the treatment of depressive symptoms, clozapine for the treatment of psychosis, rivastigmine for the treatment of dementia, and botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) and BTX-B as well as glycopyrrolate for the treatment of sialorrhea. The practical implications for these treatments, except for glycopyrrolate, are that they are clinically useful. Since there is insufficient evidence of glycopyrrolate for the treatment of sialorrhea exceeding 1 week, the practice implication is that it is possibly useful. The treatments that are likely efficacious for the management of the different non-motor symptoms are as follows: the tricyclic antidepressants nortriptyline and desipramine for the treatment of depression or depressive symptoms and macrogol for the treatment of constipation. The practice implications for these treatments are possibly useful. For most of the other interventions there is insufficient evidence to make adequate conclusions on their efficacy. This includes the tricyclic antidepressant amitriptyline, all selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) reviewed (paroxetine, citalopram, sertraline, and fluoxetine), the newer antidepressants atomoxetine and nefazodone, pergolide, Ω-3 fatty acids as well as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for the treatment of depression or depressive symptoms; methylphenidate and modafinil for the treatment of fatigue; amantadine for the treatment of pathological gambling; donepezil, galantamine, and memantine for the treatment of dementia; quetiapine for the treatment of psychosis; fludrocortisone and domperidone for the treatment of orthostatic hypotension; sildenafil for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, ipratropium bromide spray for the treatment of sialorrhea; levodopa/carbidopa controlled release (CR), pergolide, eszopiclone, melatonin 3 to 5 mg and melatonin 50 mg for the treatment of insomnia and modafinil for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness. Due to safety issues the practice implication is that pergolide and nefazodone are not useful for the above-mentioned indications. Due to safety issues, olanzapine remains not useful for the treatment of psychosis. As none of the studies exceeded a duration of 6 months, the recommendations given are for the short-term management of the different non-motor symptoms. There were no RCTs that met inclusion criteria for the treatment of anxiety disorders, apathy, medication-related impulse control disorders and related behaviors other than pathological gambling, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD), sweating, or urinary dysfunction. Therefore, there is insufficient evidence for the treatment of these indications. This EBM review of interventions for the non-motor symptoms of PD updates the field, but, because several RCTs are ongoing, a continual updating process is needed. Several interventions and indications still lack good quality evidence, and these gaps offer an opportunity for ongoing research. © 2011 Movement Disorder Society.