Parkinson's disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Parkinson's disease - Essay Example to treat Parkinson’s Disease associated symptoms, but has also proven to be an inappropriate treatment choice in patients with a history of psychosis or seizures. Amantadine may also be used to treat outbreaks of influenza A in humans. The problems experienced with the use of Amantadine is that its side effects are almost as bothersome or adverse as the symptoms that it is meant to treat. It is also lethal if taken by patients with renal conditions or with renal failure. Amantadine essentially is flushed out of the body via urine. In cases of renal failure however, a patient’s body may not effectively excrete the amount of Amantidine expected to be expelled by the body per normal dosage. When researching this particular medication, it is quite difficult to ascertain all of the facts surrounding its potency and effectiveness. Medline Plus provides only an approximation of what a dosage might be in patients prescribed this medication, as well as a few possible side effects that may be experienced. Another site known as mental health.com, describes in more detail, the pharmacology of Amantadine which is also known as Symmetrel. This source explains that Amantadine works by allowing the brain to release dopamine from nerve endings. This allows for available dopamine excretion which then activates dopaminergic receptors. (Long M.D., 1995). Among the few sources discussed thus far, the depth to which the antiparkinson’s drug known as Amantadine was examined was somewhat vague and lacking in detail or argument as to why this drug supersedes the potency or effectiveness of other antiparkinson’s medications. A more thorough source which detailed a double blind study by Thomas et al effectively described the specifics of Amantadine’s use in patients with Parkinson’s Disease as well as how those patients benefit from this particular drug which possesses a still unknown mechanism of effectiveness (Thomas et al, 2004). The drug known as Levodopa is