There may be a number of medications associated with a recent or ongoing Parkinson’s diagnosis. Unfortunately, with a great deal of medications comes a lot of research to understand what medication has been prescribed along with all of the side effects that can be expected. We have compiled a list of common medications often associated with Parkinson’s disease to help you and your family.

Drug Name	Brand Name	Used to Treat	Side Effects
Amantadine	Symmetrel	antiviral medicine that blocks the actions of viruses in the body	Bladder pain, bloody or cloudy urine, blurred vision, confusion, dizziness, fainting, falls, lower back or side pain, seeing, hearing or feeling things that are not there, swelling of hands feet or lower legs.
Apomoprphine (Apokyn)	Apokyn, APO-Go,APO-Go Pen, Uprima	“wearing off” episodes (muscle stiffness, loss of control) in people with advanced parkinson’s disease	chest pain, cold sweats, dizziness when getting up from lying or sitting position, falling asleep during activity, seeing or hearing things that are not there, twitching, twisting, uncontrolled movements of tonue, lips, face, arms or legs.
Benztropine	Cogentin	reduces the effects of certain chemicals in the body that may be unbalanced as a result of a disease (such as Parkinson’s)
Carbidopa – Levadopa	Sinemet, Parcop, Rytary, Duopa	combination medicine used to treat symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, such as muscle stiffness, tremors, spasms, and poor muscle control	twitching, twisting, uncontrolled repetitive movements of the tongue, lips, face, arms or legs.
Entacapone	Comtan	When used with carbidopa and levodopa, entacapone increases levels of levodopa in the body. Entacapone is used together with carbidopa and levodopa to treat “wearing off symptoms” of Parkinson’s disease.	Urine discoloration, absence of or decrease in body movements, hyperactivity, increase in body movements, seeing hearing or feeling things that are not there, twisting, twitching, uncontrolled repetitive movements of the tongue, lips, face, arms or legs.
Levodopa	Inbrija, Dopar, Larodopa	Parkinson’s disease, Parkinsonism, Periodic Limb Movement Disorder, Restless legs syndrome	Rash, hives, itching, peeling skin with or without fever, wheezing, tightness in the chest or throat, trouble breathing, swallowing or talking, unusual hoarseness, swelling of the mouth face lips tongue or throat, change in the way you act, confused, agitated, restlessness, trouble sleeping, strange or odd dreams, dizziness, sweating alot, change in eyesight, eye pain.
Pramipexole	Mirapex, Mirapex ER	Used to treat symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (stiffness, tremors, muscle spasms, and poor muscle control). Only immediate release pramipexole is approved to treat either Parkinson’s symptoms or RLS. ER Pramipexole is aprroved only to treat Parkinson’s	Drowsiness, visual hallucination, constipation and insomnia, xerostomia.
Rasagiline	Azilect	Used ti treat symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (stiffness, tremors, spasms, poor muscle control), sometimes usd with levodopa.	dyskinesia, abdominal or stomach pain, arm back or jaw pain, black and tarry stools, chest pain or discomfort, chest tightness or heaviness, chills, cloudy urine, cough, dizziness, fast or irregular heart beat, nausea, sore throat, sweating, sores ulcers or white spots on lips or in mouth
Rivastigmine	Exelon	Used to treat mild to moderate dementia caused by Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease.	abdominal pain, diarrhea, dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, anorexia, anxiety, asthenia, depression, drowsiness, dyspepsia, fatigue, tremor, diaphoresis, flatulence, malaise.
Ropinirole	Requip, Requip XL	Used to treat symptoms of parkinson’s disease(stiffness, tremors, muscle spasms, poor muscle control), as well as restless legs syndrome	syncope, dizziness, drowsiness, dyskinesia, fatigue, nausea, orthostatic hypotension, viral infection, decreased blood pressure, decreased pulse, and increase pulsed, asthenia, confusion, lower extremity edema, hallucination, hypotension, systolic hypertension, vertigo, diaphoresis.
Rotigotine transdermal	Neupro	Used to treat symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, such as stiffness, muscle spasms, and poor muscle control.	application site reaction, insomnia, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, dyspepsia, increased BP, increased HR, orthostatic hypotension, orthostatic dizziness
Safinamide	Xadago	oxidase inhibitor type B which works by allowing dopamine to work for longer periods of time in the brain	dyskinesia, hypertension, increased serum alanine aminotransferase
Selegiline	Eldepryl, Emsam, Jumex, Zelapar	Prevents the breakdown of dopamine	application site reaction, dizziness, insomnia, nausea, abdominal pain, skin rash, weight loss, orthostatic hypotension
Tolcapone	Tasmar	used with carbidopa and levodopa to treat symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, such as stiffness, tremors, muscle spasms, and poor muscle control. Tolcapone increases levels of levodopa in the body	diarrhea, dyskinesia, insomnia, nausea, orthostatic hypotension, vomiting, confusio, dizziness, dystonia, headache, muscle cramps, anorexia, increased dream activity, syncope, abdominal pain, constipation, falling, fatigue, diaphoresis, urine discoloration, xerostomia
Trihexyphenidyl	Artane,Trihexy, Trihexane	used to treat symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, as well as Parkinson-like symptoms that are caused by using certain antipsychotic medications	abdominal or stomach cramps or pain, bloating, constipation, delusions of persecution mistrusts suspiciousness or combativeness, excessive dry mouth, false beliefs that cannot be changed by facts, loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting, skin rash, stomach pain, swollen painful or tender lymph glands on the side of the face or neck

As seen in the table above, there are many medications associated with Parkinson’s. While some may be required in order to help the progression of the disease, we will always recommend healthy lifestyle changes such as nutrition and exercise along with the various medications. Talk to your healthcare providers about what is best for you or your loved one!