Mangaluru: An ‘Apomorphine’ injection to treat patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease has been launched by First Neuro Brain and Spine Super Speciality Hospital at Kannur, Padil on Sunday, October 20.
Senior neurologist Dr K R Shetty launched the apomorphine injection and urged patients of Parkinson’s to utilise its benefits.
Leading neurologist and Parkinson’s Disease specialist Dr Prashanth L K told reporters that Parkinson’s disease affects the nerve cells in the brain that produce dopamine. He said, “Parkinson’s disease symptoms include muscle rigidity (stiffness), slowness of gait and speech. Apomorphine is a medication used to manage the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. This leads to an improvement of body functions in patients with Parkinson’s disease, who have low dopamine levels. Unlike other dopamine agonist drugs, which are taken as tablets or patches, apomorphine is given by injection or continuous infusion using a pump.”
“Apomorphine doesn’t help everyone manage their Parkinson’s symptoms and it may not replace oral medication entirely. It is usually suggested for those patients for whom oral medications take a long time to act, for those patients who have severe symptoms like stiffness and are unable to move. It is also suggested for those who cannot take medications orally and who cannot be considered for surgery due to other medical issues. Apomorphine works within five to 10 minutes, much faster than oral medications and can act as a ‘rescue’ treatment if your tablets or capsules don’t take effect,” Prashanth informed.
