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This page/column contains information which may be of interest to consumers. The information is based on articles which appear in Australian Prescriber. As Australian Prescriber is written for health professionals, you should discuss any issues raised by this page/column with your doctor or pharmacist. They will be able to give a more detailed answer to your questions by reading the main article.
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Australian Prescriber Vol. 24 No. 4 2001
Drugs for Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease mainly affects older people. The cause is unknown, but it leads to a loss of nerve tissue in the brain. The affected part of the brain helps to control movement. If it is not working the patients start to tremble. Their muscles may seem stiff particularly in the face, neck, shoulders and hips. The patients can only move slowly and often walk with a shuffle. They are prone to falls.
The medicines used to treat Parkinson's disease increase the amount of an important chemical, called dopamine, in the brain. Levodopa is a commonly used treatment. It usually works well to begin with, but its effects wear off with time. This may need the dose to be changed or another medication to be added. At present, no drug can stop Parkinson's disease getting slowly worse.
