Mirapex Helps Parkinson's Depression

Parkinsons depression symptoms improve with Mirapex

(RxWiki News) Patients with Parkinson's Disease often suffer from depression. One drug that treats a number of Parkinson's physical symptoms may also help with some of the emotional complications of the disease.

A new study found Mirapex (pramipexole) to be effective in offering significant depressive symptom improvements, with exceptions in a few categories.

"As a Parkinson's patient, discuss your depressive symptoms with your physician."

Naoko Yatsui at Kobe University Hospital in Kobe, Japan led a study to determine whether or not the traditional Parkinson's drug Mirapex could benefit patients with their depressive symptoms. Mirapex is known to be effective in treating both motor-related and non-motor–related symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

Investigators wanted to see if Parkinson's depression was biologically similar enough to other disease-related symptoms to be effectively treated using the same drug.

The Mirapex study involved 20 patients with Parkinson's disease. Each patient was treated with Mirapex at dosages ranging between 1.5 and 3.0 mg daily. Patients remained in the study for between two and three months.

On multiple Parkinson's symptoms scales, patients demonstrated significant improvements in their Parkinson's-related depression, including the following symptoms:  "crying spell", "confusion", "psychomotor retardation", "emptiness" and "dissatisfaction."

However patients' scores worsened in the following areas: "depressed affect", "decreased libido", "constipation", and "indecisiveness."

The study was published February 2, 2011 in the Kobe Journal of Medical Science.

Review Date: 
December 17, 2011