Study of Safety and Effectiveness of Levodopa in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease

Abstract

Parkinson's disease is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disease in the world. Although there are no treatments that can inhibit the neurodegenerative process itself, symptomatic treatments can enhance patients' quality of life. Dopamine replacement or augmentation treatments can partially or totally restore the dopaminergic neuronal degeneration that characterizes Parkinson's disease. Physicians most usually prescribe Levodopa, which is still the most potent oral dopaminergic medicine for Parkinson's disease. The purpose of this research is to review the available information about study of safety and effectiveness of levodopa in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Levodopa is the gold standard for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease since it is safe, effective and well tolerated among patients. It has been established that during the past 50 years the majority of Parkinson's symptoms improve in the average levodopa treated patient, most likely due to the striatal conversion of this amino acid into dopamine. Levodopa lessens morbidity and mortality, improves function and quality of life, and therefore lowers individual and community expenses. Levodopa, on the other hand, has a short half-life and is rapidly metabolized in the plasma, which results in variances, such as the wearing-off of action and uneven symptom relief as well as the onset of dyskinesias, both of which worsen as the disease progresses. Levodopa is often prescribed with other medications including carbidopa, pramipexole and others to lessen the side effects associated, further clinical research however can assist in developing strategies to make levodopa safer in long term use.