Re: Read: Re: Driving while on Mirapex or ReQuip in Canada

[Emily and Julian Brinac <jeimages@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

What other agonists are there that would not cause withdrawal of driving
privileges and would be helpfull for PD?
Emily, Ontario
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gail Vass" <wbanks@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <PARKINSN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2002 2:04 PM
Subject: Read: Re: Driving while on Mirapex or ReQuip in Canada


> Sleep attacks associated with Parkinson's drugs
>     CBC CANADIAN NEWS WebPosted Tue Jan 22 16:17:48 2002
>
> OTTAWA-- Health Canada has sent out warnings about two drugs used to
treat
> Parkinson's disease. They say the drugs can cause sudden sleep
attacks.
>
> Studies dating back to 1999 show links between pramipexole (Mirapex)
and ropinirole
> (ReQuip) and sleep attacks.
>
> A recent study by the University of Manitoba found 21 out of 420
patients using the
> medications reported dozing off at the wheel. The study was supported
by Boehringer,
> the manufacturer of Mirapex.
>
> The study has been published in the most recent issue of the Journal
of the American
> Medical Association.
>
> As a result, Health Canada has directed the drugs' manufacturers,
Boehringer and
> GlaxoSmithKline, to send letters to physicians to warn patients "not
to drive or
> engage in other activities where impaired alertness could put
themselves and others
> at risk of serious injury or death."
>
> * The letter obliges physicians in most provinces to * inform the
motor vehicle
> authorities when they prescribe the drug to a patient.
>
> "This is a major problem, because these are the drugs we want to use
in patients
> while they're still young with Parkinson's disease," says Dr. Douglas
Hobson of the
> University of Manitoba.
>
> "These are patients are still functioning and. doing well working, and
if you
> suddenly tell them they can't drive, it's a huge issue for them."
>
> Provinces have different rules regarding medically unfit drivers.
>
> Outright ban on driving inappropriate
>
> Doctors have to tell departments of motor vehicles in Manitoba, New
Brunswick,
> Newfoundland andLabrador, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Ontario,
Prince Edward
> Island, Saskatchewan and Yukon, when they prescribe these drugs.
>
> Discretionary reporting is the rule in Quebec and Nova Scotia.
>
> In Alberta, it is at the discretion of the physician but mandatory for
the patient
> to report the change in their medical condition.
>
> For British Columbia, there's a blanket prohibition in the province
for people on
> these drugs to drive.
>
> In Manitoba and Ontario, transportation departments assess each case
individually
> before deciding whether to prohibit the person from driving.
>
> The study says doctors can assess if their patients are prone to sleep
attacks by
> using something called an "Epworth Score."
>
> "(It's) a standardized assessment of how sleepy a person would be,"
says Hobson.
> "Patients can complete it in the waiting room and then bring it in for
the physician
> to reviews."
>
> Hobson says an outright ban on driving would be inappropriate. He says
doctors have
> enough information now to pick "who is safe to drive and who isn't."
>
> The Parkinson's Society is hoping to meet with Health Canada and
provincial motor
> vehicle departments to issue new recommendations regarding the drugs
and driving.
>
> The society says people are actually refusing to take the drugs they
need because
> they're reluctant to give up their driving privileges.
>
> Copyright © 2002 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation - All Rights
Reserved
>

kinsonsdrugs_020122
>
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