Mirapex® Displays Success as Depression Treatment for Some People with Parkinson's

A recent study published in the Journal of Neurology found that Mirapex® (pramipexole dihydrochloride), a dopamine agonist, provided significant relief from depression in people living with Parkinson’s disease. Mirapex appears to have an antidepressant effect for PD patients who:

1. Had major depression
2. Had no history of motor complications and/or dyskinesia
3. Were taking stable levodopa treatment

This study followed two groups of patients for twelve weeks. The first group took Mirapex, while the second group took sertraline or Zoloft®, a common antidepressant. Researchers used the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, to measure changes in depression after treatment with one of the two medications. Results
Each group improved and experienced less depression at the end of the twelve weeks. However, the surprise occurred when 66% of the patients taking Mirapex progressed to the “recovered” stage; and, the group taking Zolft only experienced a 33% recovery rate. The antidepressant did not do as well as the dopamine agonist over the twelve weeks. This is interesting so far, and it may be able to help you if you are battling depression. However, be cautious in jumping to conclusions. It would be interesting to see what would happen after twelve more weeks. Would Zoloft catch up? Your physician can help you interpret these results and tell you what it may mean to you. Up to 50 percent of people with PD are estimated to experience some form of depression; yet, depression is often overlooked and under-treated. In part this problem occurs because many symptoms of depression overlap with the motor symptoms of PD, including lack of facial expression (hypomimia), slow, monotonic speech, and lack of energy. In PD, these symptoms can be caused by motor dysfunction and may be present whether or not the person is depressed. A growing body of evidence linking depression with worsening of the condition and increased mortality underscores the need for vigilance in recognizing and addressing depression in PD patients. Depression is very common in American society. The stigma around the disease has not been eliminated, but society has learned to understand and confront depression. If you constantly feel discouraged, sad, guilty or angry with life in general, bring it up with your doctor. It may be depression, or it may be another issue that you are likely to deal with successfully. Doctors are now very good at helping people tackle depression, and feel much better. To read more about depression in PD, click on these blogs: Depression and Anxiety in PD No Matter How You Slice the Statistics, Depression Large Possibility in PWPs This link will direct you to the American Academy of Neurology’s patient information page that discusses depression. It also discusses dementia and psychosis. It is too bad that they lump these together. We can see the relationship; but, we think it is appropriate for depression to stand on its own as a guideline.