The History of Oral Levodopa
- Jun 30
- 1 min read
Oral levodopa is the first line of medical treatment when someone is initially diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. It is the most effective oral medication at controlling motor symptoms experienced.
At a recent meeting at Royal North Shore Hospital, Dr. Paul Silberstein presented a Therapy for Parkinson's Disease Update to fellow Neurologists. He discussed all therapies available, from oral levodopa, to exericse, to deep brain stimulation.
He outlined briefly the history of research trials for L-dopa that started as early as the 1980's. Since then, trials of the efficacy of L-dopa have demonstrated multiple findings:
Levodopa has both short-term and long-term effects
Levodopa can provide steday control of symptoms for up to 10 years
The effectiveness of levodopa may then fluctuate or change over time
