Posted by King Vultan on May 19, 2004, at 15:34:53
In reply to Parkinson meds and dopamine meds, posted by bertill33 on May 19, 2004, at 0:00:42
> What are typical parkinson meds? What type of dopamine meds affect sex drive?
A common treatment used is a combination of carbidopa/levodopa, which generates dopamine for the brain while mitigating some of the side effects levodopa can cause taken by itself. Beyond that, dopamine agonists are also used. These are drugs that are able to simulate the missing dopamine and activate dopamine receptors. Examples would include bromocriptine and Mirapex. All of these have the potential to affect sex drive, as dopamine is pro-sexual. This sounds like a good thing but is not necessarily, as one can imagine situations where an excessive sex drive for one partner causes difficulties in relationships, particularly when dementia is involved.
The other type of med that is used are anticholinergic drugs, this generally for milder cases of Parkinson's. Even the OTC med Benadryl has some efficacy for this purpose, but there are stronger prescription meds available that are more anticholinergic. My understanding is that these kinds of drugs would be more of an initial treatment for Parkinson's, and when symptoms become more severe, the more powerful dopaminergic drugs need to be introduced.
Todd
poster:King Vultan
thread:348438
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040515/msgs/348650.html