PD drugs

Question 1

Side effects of dopamine agonists and levodopa

Answer 1

Nausea
Daytime somnolence
Oedema (more in dopamine agonists)

Question 2

With what drugs do impulse control disorders occur more with?

Answer 2

Dopamine agonists

Question 3

In what patients should dopamine agonists be avoided in?

Answer 3

History of addiction, OCDs and impulsive personalities

Question 4

What drugs are more commonly associated with hallucinations and shouldn’t be prescribed in the elderly?

Answer 4

Dopamine agonists

Question 5

What PD drug has the greatest symptomatic benefit

Answer 5

Levodopa

Question 6

What is diphasic dyskinesia and what drug causes it?

Answer 6

Dyskinesias occur at beginning or end of dose

Levodopa

Question 7

Non-oral therapies for PD

Answer 7

Deep brain stimulation
DUODOPA (intestinal gel)
Continuous apomorphine (dopamine agonist) infusion

Question 8

Name a peripheral dopa-decarboxylase inhibitor.

Answer 8

Carbidopa

Question 9

Name monoamine oxidase B (MAOB) inhibitors

Answer 9

Rasagiline

Selegiline

Question 10

Main side effect of MAOB inhibitors

Answer 10

Hypertensive crisis when consuming tyramine-containing food e.g. cheese

Question 11

Name a dopamine agonist

Answer 11

Pramipexole

Question 12

What patients are dopamine agonists used before levodopa in and why?

Answer 12

Younger patients <70

Due to high risk of dyskinesia in younger patients using levodopa