TITLE:
Problems Associated with Non-Ergot Dopamine Agonist Maintenance Therapy in Patients with Advanced Parkinson’s Disease
AUTHORS:
Makoto Shiraishi, Futaba Maki, Naoshi Sasaki, Yasuhiro Hasegawa
KEYWORDS:
Parkinson’s Disease, Non-Ergot Dopamine Agonist, Wearing-Off, Ropinirole, Pramipexole
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Parkinson's Disease,
Vol.8 No.3,
August
27,
2019
ABSTRACT: Non-ergot dopamine agonists have become popular for
treating motor complications associated with long-term use of
levodopa-containing drugs. We conducted a retrospective study in which we
identified clinical problems related to use of non-ergot dopamine agonists. The
study included 38 patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) who suffered the
wearing-off phenomenon and had thus been under non-ergot dopamine receptor
agonist therapy for 1 - 2 years. Some presented with problems such as major
symptoms of PD (30.3%), psychiatric symptoms (24.2%), and postural dysfunction
(21.2%). Comparison between two different non-ergot drugs showed the levodopa
dosage to be greater among patients taking ropinirole than among those taking
pramipexole. In patients with advanced PD, various problematic symptoms can
develop early after administration of a non-ergot dopamine agonist to treat the
wearing-off phenomenon, necessitating identification and treatment of such
symptoms on a patient-to-patient basis.