Medication phobia: a new cause of drug noncompliance in Parkinson disease.

OBJECTIVE

To describe a new form of anxiety in patients with Parkinson disease (PD).

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed 100 consecutive charts of patients with PD to identify those who did not adhere to their medication schedule owing to irrational fear of taking their medication. Information pertaining to their PD and comorbid medical conditions was collected.

RESULTS

We identified 6 patients with PD who had severe disability, yet anxiety from taking the medication caused avoidance of taking appropriate oral medication. This avoidance persisted in the face of reassurance that the medication is not dangerous and that taking the medication would improve their disability.

CONCLUSION

This study describes a new form of anxiety in patients with PD. We propose the term ``medication phobia'' to describe these patients.