title: Clinical risk-benefit assessment of dopamine agonists.
abstract: Dopamine agonists (DAs) have proven efficacy as monotherapy in early Parkinson's disease (PD) for preventing motor complications such as dyskinesia and as adjunct therapy as the disease progresses. Further, it is increasingly evident that at least some DAs may provide additional benefits, such as reduction in depressive symptoms and treatment of refractory tremor. Different side-effect profiles have been associated with levodopa and ergot or non-ergot DA treatment, such as sudden onset of sleep, reduced impulse control, hallucination, and cardiovascular fibrosis. This paper discusses the evidence for specific associations between particular treatments and side effects as well as the clinical implications for patient care. Ultimately, the choice depends on the risk-benefit assessment as it applies to the individual patient's clinical profile and the physician's preference.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Philipps-University, Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Möller
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Eggert
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Unger
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Odin
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Chaudhuri
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Oertel
mesh_terms: D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D018491:Dopamine Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018570:Risk Assessment
chemical_list: D018491:Dopamine Agonists