No effect of chronic bromocriptine therapy on levodopa pharmacokinetics in patients with Parkinson's disease

We studied the effect of chronic bromocriptine cotherapy on levodopa kinetics in seven patients with Parkinson's disease who were receiving levodopa therapy. Plasma levodopa concentrations were measured after a standard oral levodopa fasting dose over a 5-hour period, on two different sessions, without and with bromocriptine at a fixed daily dose of 15 mg. We found no statistically significant difference in the rate and extent of levodopa absorption between the two treatments, with minimal intrasubject variability. Our observations suggest that chronic bromocriptine cotherapy is unlikely to affect the plasma levodopa pharmacokinetics under standardized intake conditions or to contribute to a less predictable pattern of drug plasma concentrations.