Medications in Parkinson’s
To improve the movement difficulties caused by Parkinson’s, drug treatments aim to increase the level of dopamine that reaches the brain, and/or to stimulate the parts of the brain where dopamine works.
Different drugs may be used for different people depending on symptoms. Medication options will be discussed by the Parkinson’s Specialist.
Please note that the following information is only a very brief guide. For more information about Parkinson’s medications, please click here.
Dopaminergic drug treatments in Parkinson’s
There are four main classes of dopaminergic drug that can be used in the management of Parkinson symptoms:
Levodopa
Dopamine agonists
MAO-B inhibitors
COMT inhibitors
|
Treatment Name |
Generic name |
How it works |
|---|---|---|
|
Levodopa |
|
Causes the nerve cells to make more dopamine |
|
Dopamine Agonist |
|
Mimics the way that dopamine works |
|
MAO-B inhibitors |
|
Stops an enzyme using up dopamine, so more is available |
|
COMT inhibitors |
|
Block an enzyme that breaks down Levodopa |
