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Hypertension & more ::
parkinsons disease treatment
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Parkinson's disease treatment using L-dopa and dopamine agonists -- the inside story
The flip side of medication is that most of them have side effects of one kind or another. These side effects can eventually impair your experience of life. All the same, during the time medication alleviates the symptoms, the patient will find that he can function more effectively and carry on daily activities, often for several years. The medication you need will change as the disease progresses. The patient's daily routine including physical activities will be taken into consideration to determine dosages and timings for medication. Levodopa (abbreviated L-dopa) is the usual drug for treating Parkinson's disease. This helps to replace the lost dopamine production in the brain (which is what causes the disease). For a discussion on dopamine's role in Parkinson's disease, see the previous link. Levodopa is found in animals as well as plants. From a chemical point of view, it is said to be a precursor to dopamine. That is, the body can convert L-dopa into dopamine. Thus, by raising the dopamine levels in the brain, L-dopa can minimize Parkinson's symptoms. So why isn't dopamine itself used? Because it can't cross over from the bloodstream into the brain itself. L-dopa can. That's why the latter is used. L-dopa, however, makes it into the brain only in tiny quantities. So it is combined with another chemical called carbidopa, more of L-dopa gets into the brain. L-dopa is very effective in the early stages of Parkinson's. It will more or less eliminate most symptoms. Unfortunately, as the disease progresses, it doesn't work as evenly. And side effects may occur as well. During the time L-dopa is at a peak in the body, side effects like involuntary movements can manifest. The drug can also cause hallucinations and a blood pressure drop while standing. While L-dopa has its limitations, it is still the best drug to combat Parkinson's. Most patients accept the side effects in return for the elimination of symptoms. Particularly when Parkinson's disease is diagnosed at a younger age, or during early stages of the disease, doctors may prescribe a dopamine agonist. What's that? Well, L-dopa is converted into dopamine in the brain. Unlike it, a dopamine agonist is not converted to dopamine. Instead, it mimics the effect of dopamine on the nerve cells. In effect, the system is fooled into believing that enough dopamine is present while in reality, it is only the dopamine agonist that is present. There are several dopamine agonists used -- Mirapex (pramipexole), Permax (pergolide), Requip (ropinirole) and others. Again, there are side effects including involuntary movements, drowsiness and hallucinations. Parkinson's disease treatment uses different kinds of drugs. The effectiveness varies depending partly on what stage the disease is at.
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