Drugs Xagena
A review of studies has concluded that, compared to older drugs for Parkinson disease, a newer class of medications called dopamine agonists might be better at preventing some of the disabling muscle control problems associated with the disease and its treatment.
However, patients who take dopamine agonists suffer from an increase in numerous side effects from sleepiness to nausea to hallucinations in some cases and are more likely to drop out of treatment than those who take the older treatment Levodopa or no drugs at all.
The review of studies appears in The Cochrane Library.
Parkinsons disease is a degenerative disease of the nervous system that can impair a persons movements and speech. Dopamine agonists, drugs that stimulate the production of the important neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain, are increasingly used as first-line therapies for the disease.
Levodopa, an older drug that can be metabolized in the brain to produce dopamine, is also used widely in Parkinsons treatment. However, patients who use Levodopa over long periods can develop painful, distorting, involuntary muscle spasms and repetitive movements.
Rebecca Stowe of the University of Birmingham and colleagues reviewed 29 studies that included 5,247 patients who were in the early stages of Parkinsons disease and did not show any significant signs of muscle and movement problems. Some of the studies compared dopamine agonists only with Levodopa, while some used a combination of dopamine agonists and Levodopa.
There was no significant difference in the death rates between patients using dopamine agonists and those who did not take the drugs, the researchers found.
The review has highlighted that the balance of risks and benefits of dopamine agonists remains unclear.
Researchers are tracking another troubling effect of dopamine agonists: their potential link to impulsive behaviors such as uncontrolled gambling and hypersexuality.
Source: Center for the Advancement of Health, 2008
XagenaMedicine_2008
