"Dopamine Agonist Phobia" in Parkinson's disease: when does it matter? Implications for non-motor symptoms and personalized medicine.

"Dopamine Agonist Phobia" in Parkinson's disease: when does it matter? Implications for non-motor symptoms and personalized medicine. Expert Rev Neurother. 2020 Aug 05;: Authors: Rota S, Boura I, Batzu L, Titova N, Jenner P, Falup-Pecurariu C, Chaudhuri KR Abstract INTRODUCTION: Dopamine agonists have been widely used to treat patients with Parkinson's disease, but concerns related to their well-known side effects might prevent their use even when indicated. In this review, the authors describe for the first time the concept of "Dopamine Agonist Phobia", a pharmacophobia that the authors believe might affect clinicians, and they provide evidence of the benefits of dopamine agonists, focusing on non-motor symptoms. AREAS COVERED: The authors performed an extensive literature research, including studies exploring the use of dopamine agonists for the treatment of non-motor symptoms. The authors indicate the highest level of evidence in each section. EXPERT OPINION: "Dopamine Agonist Phobia" may preclude valid therapeutic options in selected cases, specifically for the treatment of non-motor symptoms. Thus, the authors propose a personalized approach in Parkinson's disease treatment, and encourage a thoughtful use of dopamine agonists, rather than an overall nihilism. PMID: 32755243 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics - Category: Neurology Tags: Expert Rev Neurother Source Type: research