AD/PD 2021 | Dopamine agonist phobia in PD

Lucia Batzu, MD, Kings College London, London, UK, explores the concept of dopamine agonist phobia, a phenomenon where healthcare professionals and patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) are wary of prescribing and receiving dopamine agonists such as levodopa, respectively. A number of side effects associated with dopamine agonists such as nausea, daytime sleepiness and impulse control behavior are thought to result in dopamine agonist phobia. Dr Batzu describes a range of strategies to overcome this, including the slow and careful dosing of dopamine agonists to reduce dose-dependent side effects and profiling patients prior to treatment to exclude those at a greater risk of side effects. This interview took place during the AD/PD™ 2021 conference.