Naltrexone, an opiate antagonist, fails to modify motor symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease.
One month of adjunct treatment with naltrexone (100 mg/day) was compared with placebo in a double-blind, randomized, cross-over design in two groups of patients with Parkinson's disease. The first group was composed of 10 patients with a moderate motor impairment insufficiently controlled by monotherapy with bromocriptine. The second group was composed of eight patients with L-dopa-induced peak-dose dyskinesia. Naltrexone as compared with placebo did not demonstrate any significant change in motor function in either group. These negative clinical results do not support a significant role of endogenous opioid systems in the pathophysiology of motor impairment in Parkinson's disease.
Department of Clinical Pharmacology (INSERM U317), University Hospital, Toulouse, France.
O
O
Rascol
N
N
Fabre
O
O
Blin
J
J
Poulik
U
U
Sabatini
J M
JM
Senard
M
M
Ané
J L
JL
Montastruc
A
A
Rascol
D000368:Aged; D001971:Bromocriptine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004409:Dyskinesia, Drug-Induced / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007980:Levodopa / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000187:drug effects*; D009271:Naltrexone / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009460:Neurologic Examination / Q000187:drug effects; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*
D001971:Bromocriptine; D007980:Levodopa; D009271:Naltrexone