title: The safety of dopamine agonists in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.
abstract: Dopamine agonists are highly effective as adjunctive therapy to levodopa in advanced Parkinson's disease. These drugs have rapidly gained popularity as a monotherapy in the early stages of Parkinson's disease for patients < 65-70 years old, because they are about as effective as levodopa, but patients demonstrate a lower tendency to develop motor complications. However, dopamine agonists could have peripheral and central side effects, which are often the reason for the discontinuation of the treatment. This review focuses on the potential negative effects related to the use of dopamine agonists in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.
authors.affiliation: University of Pisa, Department of Neuroscience, Via Roma, 67 56100 Pisa, Italy. u.bonuccelli@med.unipi.it
authors.forename: Ubaldo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Bonuccelli
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ceravolo
mesh_terms: D000978:Antiparkinson Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018491:Dopamine Agonists / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D007980:Levodopa / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000978:Antiparkinson Agents; D018491:Dopamine Agonists; D007980:Levodopa