Description
Levodopa (L-DOPA) is an endogenous precursor to dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine; it can also be found in bean plants such as species of Mucuna. L-DOPA increases brain dopamine concentrations and is clinically used to treat symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Peripheral increases in dopamine cause many side effects, including dyskinesias, hypotension, and nausea.
References
Pahwa R, Lyons KE. Treatment of early Parkinson's disease. Curr Opin Neurol. 2014 Jun 19. [Epub ahead of print]. PMID: 24950010.
Pd Med Collaborative Group. Long-term effectiveness of dopamine agonists and monoamine oxidase B inhibitors compared with levodopa as initial treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD MED): a large, open-label, pragmatic randomised trial. Lancet. 2014 Jun 10. [Epub ahead of print]. PMID: 24928805.