Dorothy FarrarDopamine
Dopamine is an important messenger substance (neurotransmitter) in the nervous system and has numerous different effects. For this reason, medicine also uses the substance as a medicine. Dopamine can be used, among other things, in shock therapy or as L-DOPA in Parkinson’s disease.
What is dopamine?
Dopamine is a messenger substance of the central and autonomic nervous system, i.e. a neurotransmitter. Among other things, it plays a central role in connection with depression and depressive symptoms in other diseases. Dopamine deficiency primarily affects drive and reduces the need and/or ability to perform voluntary actions.
For a long time, lack of drive in the context of depression was considered a subjective motivational problem. However, researchers now know that the lack of dopamine leads to motor impairment and patients also suffer from a dopamine deficit in the motor center of the brain . Some researchers even went so far as to hypothesize that depression is – at least in part – a motor disorder and not an affective one, as its classification system suggests.
In addition to these effects, dopamine also has a variety of effects on other organ systems of the human body and is therefore also used as a drug. Despite the fact that its use in the treatment of physiological shock is becoming less common , it is still considered important there. Other names for dopamine are hydroxytyramine and PIH, which is derived from prolactine-inhibiting hormone. Together with adrenaline and noradrenaline, it forms the group of catecholamines.
Effect and medical application
Dopamine can bind to two different receptors: the specific dopamine receptors and the andrenergic receptors (adrenoceptors). The effect depends, among other things, on which form of dopamine it is. As a drug, dopamine can be used, for example, in acute cardiac insufficiency (cardiac insufficiency), impending kidney failure and cardiovascular arrest. However, its use as a drug in the case of physiological shock is controversial, since cardiac arrhythmia is a possible side effect.
Dopamine can increase blood pressure and improve blood flow to certain organs, including the kidneys. Outside of emergency intervention, dopamine plays a role in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease . Parkinson’s disease is associated with a significant loss of the substantia nigra in the midbrain, the nerve cells of which produce dopamine. Therefore, L-DOPA (levodopa) may be an option for patients as a drug. This is a precursor of the messenger substance and hormone ; taking dopamine directly would not have a significant effect on the condition because the molecule cannot cross the blood-brain barrier .
Only in the brain does dopamine have a potentially mitigating effect on the motor symptoms such as muscle tremors (tremor), muscle rigidity (rigor), slowing of movements (bradykinesia) and postural instability (postural instability) that are characteristic of the neurological clinical picture and the cardinal symptoms in Parkinson’s disease represent Parkinson’s.
shapes and groups
In Germany, for example, levodopa or L-DOPA is used together with the active ingredient benserazide, among others. commercially available as Levodopa comp®, PK-Levo®, Levopar® and Restex®. In addition to L-DOPA, Stalevo® contains both entacapone and carbidopa. Combination preparations with L-DOPA and carbidopa are available, for example, as Striaton®, Isicom® and Duodopa®.
dosage
The dosage of dopamine depends on numerous factors; a general statement is therefore not possible at this point. Since the effect of L-DOPA often decreases with longer use, the starting dose is usually in the lower range and can be adjusted if necessary. In this way, practitioners try to extend the overall duration of intake and delay the wear and tear of the drug effect. In the event of shock, doctors may resort to dopamine infusions or injections.
Herbal, natural and pharmaceutical alternatives
Dopamine agonists may also be considered as an alternative to L-DOPA for the drug treatment of Parkinson’s disease. These are substances that activate the dopamine receptors and thereby initiate a comparable reaction. The dopamine agonists can be classified according to two criteria: according to their chemical structure or their selectivity, i. that is, which of the various dopamine receptors they act on.
Dopamine agonists include apomorphine and pramipexole (so-called non-ergoline dopamine agonists) and the ergoline dopamine agonists bromocriptine and cabergoline. Whether treatment with dopamine agonists or L-DOPA makes more sense depends on the individual patient; only the attending physician can decide on this for the individual patient.
Interactions and side effects
Possible side effects of L-DOPA include dizziness , loss of appetite ( anorexia ), nausea , and decreased blood pressure ( hypotension ). In addition, various digestive problems can occur. The respective symptoms may in turn trigger further complaints, for example cold hands and/or feet, which potentially no longer receive an optimal blood supply as a result of the hypotension. Some patients taking L-DOPA also feel impulses to buy things; In hindsight, they sometimes cannot explain the need.
Furthermore, sexual needs can come more to the fore. However, this side effect is also considered rare. A major problem in treating Parkinson’s with L-DOPA is the diminishing effectiveness of the drug: patients who take the drug over a long period of time typically only show a weakened reaction until they finally hardly benefit from the drug.
An undesirable side effect of dopamine, which doctors can use to treat cardiovascular failure, among other things, is cardiac arrhythmia. Here too, however, it is necessary to weigh up the relationship between risks and possible benefits and whether dopamine administration is still justified – especially if there are no alternatives.
Hello and welcome to my Health Guide & Encyclopedia! My name is Dorothy Farrar, and I'm the founder and main author of this platform.
My passion for health and wellness started at a young age when I became interested in the connection between the food we eat and the way we feel. This fascination led me to study nutrition and dietetics in college, where I learned about the importance of a balanced diet and the impact of various nutrients on the body.