Treatment of Parkinson's disease with subcutaneous lisuride infusions

Four patients with Parkinson's disease and severe fluctuating responses to levodopa and oral dopamine agonists were treated with continuous administration of lisuride infusions, administered by means of an externally worn pump. Levodopa dosage ranged from 300 to 687 mg/day and was kept stable throughout the study. In addition increasing doses of lisuride were injected subcutaneously in the abdomen. Lisuride doses ranged from 41 to 104 micrograms/h. A marked improvement in mobility was observed in every patient while severe biphasic dyskinesais almost remitted in one of them. The most common side-effect was the presence of subcutaneous nodules appearing at the injection site. Two cases had mild hemorrhagic complications and one initially had nausea. One patient developed acute psychiatric disturbances severe enough to be excluded from the study. Our findings suggest that lisuride subcutaneous infusions can be useful in severily handicapped parkinsonian patients, however local and psychiatric side-effects may be a serious threat in the long-term care.