A brief description of Parkinson’s disease drug therapy

  During the clinical consultation, it was found that many patients with Parkinson’s disease are contraindicated to take the type and quantity of medications and are often reluctant to increase the variety of medications. I think this is a misconception, and in this article I briefly introduce the types of Parkinson’s disease medications and the basic principles of drug therapy in the hope that patients and friends can have a little more awareness and understanding.  Parkinson’s disease is a chronic progressive neurological disease that is caused by tremor, rigidity and motor retardation due to dopamine deficiency caused by apoptosis of nigrostriatal nerve cells in the brain. The key to drug therapy is how to effectively replenish dopamine and have it in high concentration and bioavailable in brain tissue. Around this key point, there are several major categories: i. Levodopa class This class of drugs aims to replenish dopamine transmitters in the brain and is the main body of drug therapy. Medobar (dobutamine tablets) and Xanax (carzodopa controlled-release tablets) are representatives of this class, which contain both dopamine transmitters and benserazide and carbidopa, respectively, to reduce the consumption of dopamine transmitters in regions outside the brain.  Second, dopamine receptor agonists These drugs aim to enhance the response of nerve tissues to dopamine transmitters, so that the dopamine transmitters in the body can have their maximum effect. Tamsulosin (piribedil extended-release tablets) and Senfuro (pramipexole hydrochloride tablets) are the representatives of this class of drugs.  Dopamine metabolism inhibitors These drugs aim to inhibit the degradation of dopamine transmitters, so that the dopamine in the body stays in the body as long as possible and prolong the effective time of the drug. Kotan (Entacapone) and Midopir (Slegiline) are the representatives of this class of drugs.  Other anticholinergic drugs (benzhexol) reduce Parkinson’s motor symptoms by inhibiting the action of acetylcholine and correspondingly increasing the effect of dopamine, but they mostly cause dry mouth and constipation.  Most of the above drugs are used in combination, and the main idea is to replenish the lack of dopamine transmitters in the brain and to make the newly replenished dopamine transmitters work as long as possible, also the neuronal tissues use dopamine as efficiently as possible. Patients should not be contraindicated to take the number of drugs, but should follow the doctor’s advice to choose the drugs rationally and to carry out the drug regimen from different aspects and strategies.