As a scientist suffering from diagnosed PD I'd like to understand the long term consequences of Ropinirole therapy.
Hi Andrew, Ropinirole therapy is often effective in young people with PD. It can delay the need for levodopa. Levodopa can have disabling side effects, notably motor fluctuations such wearing-on and off phenomenon and dyskinesia. So Ropinirole can indirectly delay this too. On the other side, long-term usage of ropinirole has been linked to physical dependence on this drug (approx. 7% of patients/year). Basically, brain starts to see this drug as more dopamine and following this it decides to turn back its natural production of dopamine. If you reduce or stop this drug, it may aggravate your symptoms. We usually "detox" such individuals out of this therapy using available alternatives. It's best to discuss your questions with your family doctor and/ or neurologist, because they know your history, and physical examination can reveal cardinal changes. Sleepiness and compulsory behavior (e.g., checking, eating, shopping, tidiness, washing) have also been associated with dopamine agonists. Hope this helps. All the best! Amit
P.S. Refer to this short review for details:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16382188
Many thanks Amit, as I suspected. Do you know if the accommodation (down-regulation) of dopaminergic activity is reversible or permanent?
Mention not, Andrew :)
It depends. In most cases, I would say its reversible, but the dose increase is inevitable. I recently jumped over to a visual guide to PD. You might like it. Here is the link: http://www.webmd.com/parkinsons-disease/ss/slideshow-parkinsons-overview
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Biological Science
- Neuroscience