Medications Given to a Person Having Parkinson's Disease

Approximately 1.5 million Americans suffer from Parkinson's disease, according to Oregon Health and Science University. The most common treatments for the symptoms caused by Parkinson's disease are prescription medications.

Function

• The symptoms of Parkinson's disease are often alleviated by dopamine, a chemical normally found in the brain, which patients with the disease often lack in adequate amounts. Because dopamine cannot be taken as a supplement, medications for Parkinson's either mimic the actions of the chemical or work to increase the brain's supply of natural dopamine.

Types of Medications

• Classes of medications used to treat Parkinson's disease include levodopa, dopamine agonists such as pramipexole, MAOB inhibitors such as selegiline, COMT inhibitors such as entacapone and anticholinergics such as benztropine.

Features

• For some patients, doctors prescribe a combination of two or three medications to treat Parkinson's, according to the Mayo Clinic. One of the most common combination treatments is levodopa and entacapone.

Risks

• Common side effects of medications used to treat Parkinson's disease include sleepiness, involuntary muscle tics or twitches, dry mouth, constipation and urinary retention. The drugs also have the potential to cause more severe effects such as confusion, hallucinations, delusions, compulsions such as gambling or hypersexuality, and liver damage, reports the Mayo Clinic.

Considerations

• You may need to try several different drugs before finding one that alleviates your symptoms but produces few side effects. As the disease progresses, it is also possible that you will need a new medication or a higher dose of your current medication to control symptoms.