On Sat 05 Apr, W.S. wrote:
> Does anyone take parlodel with sinemet cr ?
> my mother got a Rx from her DR. but after
> reading the side effects of so many deaths
> recorded from it, we have not started it.
> I don't even see what the positive side is
> of it. WHITIE
>
>
To WHITIE: Bromocriptine, or Parlodel is one of the group known as Dopamine
Agonists, which means that they assist Dopamine in its action in the brain.
There are now a number of altenatives (depending partly on where you live)
which should be considered, such as
Permax (Celance, Pergolide)
Revanil (Lysuride)
ReQuip (Ropinirole)
Cabergoline
Pramipexole
Bromocriptine was at one time the only dopamine agonist available, so
naturally a lot of people (myself included) started to take it. A lot of
those people I am sure, found no problems, and continue to take the drug,
but a significant number (including myself) found that although it worked
as advertised as a dopamine agonist,, there were unacceptable psychological
side effects. I personally found the side effects were so bad that I stopped
taking Bromocriptine, and then had to wait for about a year for an
alternative to become available, which was Pergolide (Permax). In my case,
Permax turned out to be free of side effects.
The newer drugs generally claim less risk of unwanted side effects, and more
effective functioning as an agonist. I think that the effectivity of one of
these drugs relative to another is still unproven, but I am sure that the
risk of psychological or other unwanted side-effects is significantly lower
in the later drugs.
In short, Bromocriptine has had its day in the spotlight, and should be
retired in favour of the more modern alternatives.
Use of Dopamine Agonists with Sinemet CR.
In my view, Sinemet (Or the alternative Madopar) is the Primary drug for
use in relieving the symptoms of PD. Use of any of the above agonists as a
total replacement for Sinemet/Madopar involves such large quantities of the
agonist that the risk of side effects becomes a concern. They are far better
when used in combination with Sinemet/Madopar.
Regards,
--
Brian Collins <[log in to unmask]>
