Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA) Practice Exam

Which drug combination is commonly used to manage Parkinson's disease?

1. Levothyroxine and Metformin

2. Co-beneldopa or Co-careldopa

3. Ropinirole and Donepezil

4. Carbidopa and Benzodiazepines

The correct answer is: Co-beneldopa or Co-careldopa

The commonly used drug combination to manage Parkinson's disease is Co-beneldopa or Co-careldopa. These medications contain a combination of levodopa, which is converted to dopamine in the brain, and carbidopa, which prevents levodopa from being converted to dopamine outside the brain. This combination helps to improve the effectiveness of levodopa treatment while reducing the side effects that can occur when levodopa is given alone, such as nausea and vomiting. Levodopa is considered the gold standard in treating Parkinson's disease as it addresses the core symptoms such as bradykinesia (slowness of movement), rigidity, and tremors. The addition of carbidopa increases the bioavailability of levodopa by preventing its premature conversion, allowing more of the drug to reach the central nervous system, where it is needed to alleviate symptoms. In contrast, the other medications listed either do not have a significant role in managing Parkinson's disease or are used for very different conditions. Levothyroxine is used for hypothyroidism, Metformin for type 2 diabetes, Ropinirole is a dopamine agonist but is not used in combination with Donepezil, which is primarily used for Alzheimer's disease. Carbidopa paired