Parkinson's disease medications
Content:
- What medications are used
- Initial drug therapy
- Side effects of drug therapy
What medications are used for Parkinson's disease?
The main treatment for Parkinson's disease is drug therapy. Dopamine is a chemical from the group of neurotransmitters, the lack of which is due to the symptoms of the disease. For this reason, making up for the deficiency of this element is the main goal of drug treatment. The disabling nature of the symptoms indicates the need for such therapy. The use of pharmacy products is required when the manifestations of Parkinson's disease cause disruption to the patient's daily life.
Specific drugs are prescribed by your doctor. Symptoms, age, the presence of allergic reactions - all this affects the selection of medicines. After all, they can become not only an effective tool in the fight against the manifestations of the disease, but also cause side effects. Since drugs are interdependent, they can enhance each other's action, it is necessary to determine the most suitable combination.
Levodopa allows you to effectively control the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. For a long time, it was used at the initial stages of the development of the disease. The drug is still popular, but it is used less frequently than before. This is due to the fact that large doses of Levodopa, when taken for a long time, become the cause of difficult-to-eliminate motor disorders. Dopamine agonists are widely used today. You can replace Levodopa with Pramipexole and Ropinirole. They are also used to combat the early symptoms of Parkinson's disease. By avoiding taking Levodopa in this way, you can prevent motor problems. However, dopamine agonists have other side effects and cause a number of complications.
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It is not yet known exactly which drugs are more effective in treating Parkinson's disease at the beginning of its development. They resort to the help of Levodopa due to the fact that this drug qualitatively eliminates the first symptoms of the disease. However, with prolonged use, motor skills are disturbed, which is then difficult to restore. Dopamine agonists are not as effective at controlling and attenuating the manifestations of Parkinson's disease, but less harmful to the body. For this reason, Levodopa is only recommended for elderly patients.
Apomorphine is chosen by experts as a fast-acting dopamine agonist. It is also called Apokine and is used in emergency cases, for example, when a patient with Parkinson's disease loses limb mobility. Decreased motor activity, muscle paralysis - all this helps to eliminate the subcutaneous injection of Apomorphine. taking the drug, due to temporary difficulties in movement, has a gentle effect on the body and allows you to abandon the regular use of potent drugs. As a result, twitching is avoided, which is a possible complication of drug therapy, for example, Levodopa.
The patient should inform the doctor about pain, discomfort. This is necessary in order to compose the correct combination and determine the dosage of drugs, in time to adjust the set of drugs used for drug therapy. Oral drugs, while decreasing their effectiveness over time, require an increase in dose. Instead, you can take Levodopa and Dopamine Agonist regularly, with occasional injections of Apomorphine. Apomorphine causes nausea in some patients, so it is recommended to drink antiemetic drugs with it.
Drug therapy in the early stages of Parkinson's disease
The selection of medicines is carried out in accordance with the stage of development of the disease.
In the case of Parkinson's disease, the following drugs are used at the initial stages:
- Levodopa in combination with Carbidopa;
- Dopaminomimetics;
- Amantadine;
- Catechin-O-methyltransferase inhibitors;
- Anticholinergics;
- Monoamine oxidase-B inhibitor.
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Side effects of drug therapy for Parkinson's disease
The use of various drugs has not only a therapeutic effect. Various side effects are possible. To minimize the risk of adverse effects on the patient's body, the drug is taken in small doses, which are increased if necessary. Treatment is usually carried out with one drug. This allows you to know for sure whether the changes in the patient's well-being are associated with an increase and a change in dose or not. It may appear that the drug is not very effective. However, in most cases, when you stop using it, the symptoms of Parkinson's disease appear more pronounced.
In drug therapy, even the combination of taking a drug with a meal is of fundamental importance. Protein products significantly reduce the effectiveness of the funds. Therefore, it is not recommended to take the drug at the same time as meat, cheese, cottage cheese.
Fluctuation of motor skills is another potential side effect of long-term Parkinson's drugs. It manifests itself in the form of a sudden reaction or dyskinesia, which implies involuntary twitching.
Taking drugs for Parkinson's disease can cause drowsiness. This effect is often referred to as a "sleep attack". The patient cannot cope with an irresistible urge to sleep, and this can happen at any time, for example, while driving a car. Before you start taking the drug, you should consult with your doctor about the likelihood of such side effects.
Some patients also develop inclinations uncharacteristic for them in their usual state. Someone loses control over themselves, gambling, making unplanned purchases, someone has inappropriate sexual activity. Having noticed the strange behavior of the patient, relatives should contact his doctor. Competent and timely treatment will help overcome the manifestations of Parkinson's disease.
Author of the article: Sokov Andrey Vladimirovich | Neurologist
Education: In 2005 completed an internship at the IM Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University and received a diploma in Neurology. In 2009, completed postgraduate studies in the specialty "Nervous diseases".
