Abstract
Background: We aimed to assess the effects of safinamide on depression, motor symptoms, and the serotonin syndrome related to its co-administration with antidepressants in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of patients at 1 and 3 months of follow-up compared to baseline. Results: n = 82 (safinamide 50 mg = 22, 100 mg = 60, with antidepressants = 44). First, we found improvement in depression (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale: −6 ± 5.10 at 1 month and −7.27 ± 5.10 at 3 months, p < 0.0001; Patient Global Impression of Improvement Scale: 60.3% and 69.5% of patients at 1 and 3 months reported some improvement). Second, safinamide improved the daily life activities and motor symptoms/motor complications (Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS-II): −2.51 ± 6.30 and −2.47 ± 6.11 at 1 and 3 months, p < 0.0001; III: −3.58 ± 8.68 and −4.03 ± 8.95 at 1 and 3 months, p < 0.0001; IV: −0.61 ± 2.61 and −0.8 ± 2.53 at 1 and 3 months, p < 0.0001). Third, 7.31% and 8.53% of patients developed non-severe adverse events related to safinamide at 1 and 3 months. Serotonin syndrome was not observed in the patients treated with antidepressants; some isolated serotonin syndrome symptoms were reported. Conclusions: Safinamide could be useful for treating depression in PD; it was effective for motor symptoms and motor complications and safe even when co-administered with antidepressants.
Highlights
IntroductionParkinson’s disease (PD), safinamide significantly improves “ON” time without causing troublesome dyskinesia, reduces “OFF” time, and improves scores on the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), improving quality of life [2,3,4,5,6]
Up to March 2020, researchers from the movement disorder units of 13 different hospitals selected Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients from medical history databases fulfilling the following inclusion criteria: aged over 18 years, with a PD diagnosis and depression diagnosis, and being treated with safinamide within labeled use, with full clinical assessments at baseline, one month and three months after the onset of safinamide treatment
We found safinamide to be well tolerated in real conditions, even when co-administered with antidepressants, which is in consonance with previous reports [30,32]
Summary
Parkinson’s disease (PD), safinamide significantly improves “ON” time without causing troublesome dyskinesia, reduces “OFF” time, and improves scores on the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), improving quality of life [2,3,4,5,6]. It is approved for the treatment of mid-to-late fluctuating PD patients as an add-on therapy alongside stable doses of levodopa alone or in combination with others drugs. Safinamide improved the daily life activities and motor symptoms/motor complications (Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS-II): −2.51 ± 6.30 and −2.47 ± 6.11 at 1 and. Conclusions: Safinamide could be useful for treating depression in PD; it was effective for motor symptoms and motor complications and safe even when co-administered with antidepressants
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