What Are Some Medications for Parkinson's Disease?

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disease affecting the body's ability to control movement. Symptoms, such as tremor, develop slowly and get progressively worse. There is no cure for Parkinson's, but there are several medicines used to treat symptoms.

Symptoms

• Parkinson's disease symptoms include a reduced ability to perform voluntary movement, muscle rigidity, tremors, dementia, imbalance, stooped posture, slurred speech, and an inability to blink, smile or perform other automatic movements.

Causes

• Parkinson's is caused by a lack of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is a chemical messenger that aids the body in controlling movement. Genetic and environmental factors may cause the underproduction of dopamine.

Medicines

• Medicines include Sinemet, a combination of levodopa and carbidopa, which converts to dopamine. Other drugs are Mirapex, which mimics dopamine, Cogentin which controls tremor, and Symmetrel, which relieves mild symptoms early in the disease.

Inhibitors

• Two inhibitor drugs work with levodopa to prevent the limited availability, oxidizing and breakdown of dopamine. Comtan and Tasmar inhibit the COMT (catechol-O-methyl transferase) enzyme, and Azilect and Carbex inhibit MAO-B (monoamine oxidase B).

Alternatives

• Alternative medicine treatment includes taking the supplement coenzyme Q10, as people with Parkinson's have low levels of this enzyme in their body.