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ICPD: Pramipexole Can Improve Depression in Parkinson's Disease By Richard Robinson Special to DG News HELSINKI, FINLAND -- August 1, 2001 -- Adding pramipexole to levodopa therapy can improve depression in Parkinson's disease independent of motor improvement, according to a study performed by Irena Rektorova, MD, of Masaryk University of Brno, Czech Republic. "Depression is a major concern in Parkinson's disease," said Dr. Rektorova, who spoke at the 14th International Congress on Parkinson's Disease in Helsinki on July 31. Treatment for depression in PD can be complicated, since patients are often on multiple medications already, and some antidepressants have the potential to worsen the disease's symptoms. Some reports have indicated that dopamine agonists such as pramipexole can improve depression. To test this hypothesis, Dr. Rektorova enrolled 41 depressed patients in a six-week, open-label comparison of pramipexole and another agonist, pergolide. Patients were also taking levodopa, and had to have mild to moderate, but not severe, depression. Results at the end of the trial indicated no difference in the motor improvements or motor complications from the two drugs. However, a significant improvement was seen in pramipexole-treated patients in depression, as measured on the MADRS rating scale, while no significant improvement was seen for pergolide. "The decrease in depression for pramipexole was significant even after correcting for motor improvement," Dr. Rektorova noted. It constituted a drop of approximately one third in the MADRS score. Adverse effects for both drugs were typical for dopamine agonists, and included sleep disturbances and hallucinations. E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version