Parlodel – An Amazing Medication which can Prevent the Physical Signs of Aging

Perhaps one of the greatest fears that many of us have as we get older is that although we might be able to keep our bodies fit and healthy, our minds might just not be able to keep up. Whereas we all have a good idea about what action we should take to ensure that physically we’re able to live for as long and as healthily as possible, most of us probably think that apart from doing the odd cross-word or Sudoku puzzle, it’s just not possible to take similar steps to protect our brains against the degenerative effects of aging. But that’s where you would be wrong. Parlodel (the brand name given to the generic medication bromocriptine) is a preventative medicine that can be used, amongst other things, to help delay age-related mental decline.

Parlodel is a semi-synthetic derivative of the chemical compound ergoline. It acts as what is known as a ‘Dopamine Agonist’.

So What is Dopamine?

Dopamine belongs to a group of chemicals called neurotransmitters. These chemicals act as the brain’s messenger service enabling brain cells (neurons) to communicate with one another.

Neurons are connected together via synapses. Synapses can either be electrical (where the neurons actually touch each other) or chemical (where minute spaces known as synaptic gaps exist between them). The vast majority of synapses in the human brain are chemical ones. Neurons use nerve impulses to carry information from one neuron to another. When a nerve impulse reaches a synapse, it needs to be able to cross the synaptic gap to reach the next neuron. Specific molecules (neurotransmitters) are released by the transmitting neuron and they effectively ferry the nerve impulse across the synaptic gap.

Nerve impulses always travel in the same direction and once they have crossed the synaptic gap they have to bind with the appropriate receptor sites on the receiving neuron in order to produce an effect on that brain cell.

There are a number of different neurotransmitters and they are responsible for different actions. Being a neurotransmitter, Dopamine has a wide variety of important functions in the brain including:

Dopamine’s effects can therefore be felt in just about every aspect of our daily lives from movement and fine motor control, through to sleep, behaviour, emotion and mood.

How does Parlodel Work?

As a Dopamine agonist, Parlodel acts to directly stimulate the receptor sites that would normally be stimulated by Dopamine. Unlike some medications, Dopamine agonists do not convert into Dopamine when they enter the body. Instead, Dopamine agonists behave like Dopamine itself – essentially simulating the effects of Dopamine within the brain.

Unfortunately, as we age, our Dopamine levels decrease. It is estimated that Dopamine levels decline at the rate of approximately 13% per decade after the age of 40.

Because Dopamine plays such a key role in brain activity and is responsible for so many important functions and aspects of our mood and behaviour, it’s easy to see how declining Dopamine levels can have huge effect on our lives as we get older. With its ability to stimulate Dopamine receptors and therefore produce the effects of Dopamine on the brain, Parlodel is excellently suited to those seeking a preventative medicine that can help to delay age-related mental decline.

Parlodel and Parkinson’s Disease

Parlodel’s ability to stimulate Dopamine receptors also makes Parlodel an ideal medication for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease is a progressive, neurodegenerative disorder of the nervous system and is directly related to declining Dopamine levels. When Dopamine levels fall significantly (by about 80%), the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease appear.

Parkinson’s disease particularly affects movement because of the specific areas of the brain that are affected by the lack of Dopamine.

Hidden deep in the brain are specialised areas responsible for coordinating body movements and helping to keep the body’s muscular movements smooth and regular. These areas include the basal ganglia, the substantia nigra and the cerebellum. These areas are connected by a series of pathways that rely upon the Dopamine that is produced by the neurons in the substantia nigra. However, in Parkinson’s disease these Dopamine transmitting neurons die and Dopamine levels become severely depleted which causes significant disruption to these pathways. This results in the abnormalities in movement characterized by the disease:

Unfortunately the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease worsen over time although the rate of change varies from person to person. Depression is common, and about one in three sufferers experience dementia. Eventually the symptoms may be become so severe that a person can longer look after themselves.

As yet the reason why so many Dopamine transmitting neurons should die causing Dopamine levels to fall so dramatically so as to allow Parkinson’s disease to develop isn’t known. Age is the greatest risk factor. The average age of onset of the disease is around 60 – with both prevalence and incidence increasing with advancing age. It is rare in people under the age of 40 (about 1 in 10 new diagnosis relate to people in this age group) but rises significantly in people aged over 70. Whatever the cause, at present we are limited to treating the symptoms.

As a Dopamine agonist, Parlodel binds to Dopamine receptors in place of Dopamine and directly stimulates those receptors. Indeed, it can stimulate Dopamine receptors even in someone without Dopamine neurons. This is why Parlodel is used to treat Parkinson’s disease. It is often used as an adjunct therapy i.e. a therapy that is used with other medications, although in the early stages of the disease, or in mild cases, Parlodel may be used on its own.

Parlodel and Levodopa Therapy

Parlodel has been found to be particularly beneficial for those patients who show a decreasing response to Levodopa therapy. Levodopa actually converts into Dopamine in the brain and so boosts Dopamine levels, but the full beneficial effect of this treatment generally only last for between 3 and 5 years. By taking Parlodel as well as Levodopa, Parkinson’s disease patients have found that they experience greater anti-Parkinson disease effects. This means that both Parlodel and Levodopa dosages can be reduced. Parlodel can also be taken with anti-cholinergic medications and other Parkinson’s treatments.

Parlodel and Growth Hormone production

Parlodel is also known to have an effect on growth hormone (GH) production. This is perhaps not that surprising given that GH is a pituitary hormone (like prolactin which is discussed later) . The effect that Parlodel has on GH is somewhat intriguing in that it can increase GH secretion in people with normal GH concentrations and yet, paradoxically, it suppresses GH secretion in those people who produce too much GH.

The uncontrolled over-production of GH by the pituitary gland is due to a condition called acromegaly. The most common cause of acromegaly is a pituitary adenoma (a GH producing tumor). Unfortunately acromegaly is often hard to diagnose in its early stages and may go undiagnosed for many years. Symptoms can include hypertension, painful joints, abnormal stoppage of menstrual periods in women, impotence in men, heart failure, kidney failure and enlarged organs, feet and hands. Whilst the initial treatment for acromegaly is surgery or radiotherapy Parlodel is a useful adjunct therapy for either treatment. In certain cases, Parlodel may also be used on its own. Parlodel treats acromegaly by reducing the level of GH in the blood.

But it is this ability to increase GH in people with normal GH levels that is most exciting for those interested in anti-aging medicine. Many consider GH to be the key to living a longer and healthier life and, indeed, GH was the first substance to have been clinically proven to reverse the effects of aging.

The body uses GH to repair and rejuvenate itself but, unfortunately, once we hit the age of 30, GH levels begin to fall dramatically (14% per decade after the age of 30). The upshot of this fairly rapid decline in GH supplies manifests in a number of diverse ways, most of which we usually put down to simply getting older. As we age we notice that:

Even though, at first glance, all these well known signs of aging appear to be unconnected, they are all in fact attributable to declining GH levels. By raising our GH levels and returning them to more youthful, healthier levels we can reverse many of these symptoms of old age - and Parlodel can help to do just that.

The benefits of increasing GH levels extend beyond just those specifically related to anti-aging medicine. By raising GH levels a myriad of other benefits flow including:

Parlodel and Addiction Reduction

Dopamine is also known to play a major part in addiction. As a Dopamine agonist, Parlodel can be used in treating, in particular, cocaine addiction. This is because cocaine acts by blocking the reuptake of certain neurotransmitters such as Dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. By binding to the transporters that normally remove the excess of these neurotransmitters from the synaptic gap, cocaine prevents them from being reabsorbed by the neurons that released them. This has the effect of increasing the concentrations of these neurotransmitters in the synapses. As a result, the natural effect of Dopamine on the post-synaptic neurons is amplified. The group of neurons thus modified produces the euphoria (from Dopamine), feelings of confidence (from serotonin), and energy (from norepinephrine) typically experienced by people who take cocaine.

Researchers believe that Parlodel has the potential to significantly ease the cocaine withdrawal syndrome experienced when someone is trying to break their addictive habit.

Parlodel and Prolactin

Parlodel is not just capable of stimulating Dopamine receptors and providing the brain with the beneficial effects of this. Parlodel’s other mode of action is to slow down the production of prolactin.

Prolactin is a hormone produced by the anterior pituitary gland, a grape-sized organ found at the base of the brain. Unusually, prolactin levels increase with age- the levels of most hormones fall as we get older.

Prolactin’s main role is to promote the production of breast milk (lactation). Therefore levels in women are high during pregnancy and after childbirth. After birth, prolactin helps to initiate and maintain the supply of breast milk. If a woman does not breast feed her baby, her prolactin levels will quickly fall back to the low levels found in non-pregnant women. If she does breast feed, suckling by her baby plays an important role in the production of prolactin. When the baby feeds, the amount of prolactin secreted is affected which in turn controls the amount of milk produced.

Despite lactation being the main role for prolactin, the hormone is also found in low levels in men - although the precise role of prolactin in men is unclear.

Parlodel as a treatment for Hyperprolactinaemia

The presence of abnormally high prolactin levels in the blood is known as hyperprolactinaemia. This condition can sometimes be caused by a tumour known as a prolactinoma. Hyperprolactinaemia results from problems with the pituitary gland and can lead to a number of physical complications such as:

Parlodel can also be used to prevent lactation in women who, for medical reasons, cannot breast feed.

Parlodel and the Immune System

Prolactin is also thought to play a significant role in the suppression of the immune system. This is due to prolactin’s involvement in stimulating the proliferation of the immune system’s T-lymphocytes. T- lymphocytes are a particular type of white blood cell. As a result, Parlodel is sometimes used to suppress the immune system in organ transplant patients.

The Future for Parlodel

Research continues to expand the list of possible uses for Parlodel. For example, recent studies have shown that Parlodel has potential as a treatment for Type II diabetes because it is capable of improving both glucose tolerance and insulin resistance whilst at the same time suppressing lipogenesis (the process by which simple sugars such as glucose are converted to fatty acids). Given that Type II diabetes rates are set to soar as populations become increasingly obese, any positive steps in the fight against the disease has to be welcomed.

Parlodel is, therefore, the most amazing medication. Not only can it help to prevent the all too familiar declines in cognitive function that we all associate with aging, but just in terms of anti-aging alone, by lifting GH levels, it helps to prevent the physical signs of aging too.

Dosage

The usual dose is between 1.25mg to 2.5mg a day, unless treating a serious condition where the dosage will be determined by your doctor. Parlodel should always be taken at mealtimes.

Side effects

During the first few days of treatment, some patients may experience mild nausea and, less frequently, dizziness, fatigue or vomiting. However, these side effects have never been severe enough to lead to treatment being stopped. In rare cases, Parlodel may also lower blood pressure. For this reason, it’s advisable that patients are monitored during the early stages of treatment and if side effects should persist, their dosage may need to be lowered.

Other side effects such as hallucinations and confusion, dyskinesia (diminished voluntary movements and the presence of involuntary movements) and vasospasm (blood vessel spasm) have been reported. For those using Parlodel to treat Parkinson’s disease, side effects may include constipation, drowsiness and, less frequently, psychomotor excitation, leanness of the jaw and leg cramps.

If side effects are dose dependent, lowering the dosage may resolve the situation.

You may not experience any side effects at all, but if you do (including any not mentioned above) or if you have any concerns at all relating to this medication, you should discuss matters with your doctor.

Warnings

Parlodel is known to be a very potent substance and must not be used by pregnant or breast-feeding women, unless they take the medication under the strict guidance of their doctor.

Parlodel is contraindicated with psychoactive and hypotensive drugs as well as other Dopamine enhancing drugs. Although often dependent upon dose, such medications should only be administered concurrently under the guidance of their doctor.

The effects of Parlodel may also be exaggerated when combined with other ergots, including hydergine and nicergoline.

The safety and effectiveness of Parlodel has not been established for use in adolescents under the age of 15.

Parlodel cannot be shipped to the UK or the EU.