LINK: guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/ … e-agonists
Dopamine agonists are drugs that affect the brain in the same way as the chemical dopamine.[6] People with Parkinson’s don’t have enough dopamine, so these drugs can help them by replacing some of the dopamine they are missing.
Dopamine agonists are often used so people can delay starting to take levodopa. Levodopa is the best treatment for Parkinson’s, but it stops working as well over time, and its effects start to wear off. Levodopa can also cause bad side effects.
You can take dopamine agonists in two ways.
On their own: You may be given a dopamine agonist in the early stages of Parkinson’s to delay starting levodopa. When your symptoms get worse, your doctor might then give you levodopa to take when your symptoms are bad. This is sometimes called rescue medication or rescue levodopa.With levodopa: You may also take a dopamine agonist along with levodopa. This combination may help you to take less levodopa, so it keeps working for longer. (To read more, see Levodopa plus a dopamine agonist.)