b'\\nMedication regimens in patients with Parkinson\\u2019s Disease may be complex, partly owing to the short one-to-two hour half-life of the primary medication, carbidopa-levodopa (Sinemet). When these patients are subject to prolonged medication withholding because of NPO restrictions prior to surgery, symptoms become exacerbated quickly and patients can become agitated, hallucinate and suffer extreme rigidity. AJN editor in \\nchief Shawn Kennedy discusses the findings of these two studies with the authors and the implications for nurses.'