TERGURIDE IN FLUCTUATING PARKINSONIAN-PATIENTS - A DOUBLE-BLIND-STUDYVERSUS PLACEBO

Terguride (TER), a semisynthetic derivative of lisuride, has been foun d to display dopamine (DA) agonist and DA antagonist effects in animal s, depending on the experimental model used. TER (2 mg/day) was compar ed to placebo in 41 fluctuating Parkinson's disease patients to test i ts effect on akinesia and dyskinesia. Mean hours ''off'' decreased at weeks 6 and 12 (p < 0.05) in the TER group but the overall difference from the placebo group was not significant. Only the TER group display ed a decrease over time in mean Columbia University Rating Scale total score ''on'' and ''off'' (p = 0.001 and p = 0.03, respectively). Dura tion of involuntary movements and resulting disability were not signif icantly different between patients on TER and those on placebo adminis tration. In the overall evaluation, patients preferred TER (p = 0.01). Tolerance of TER was very good in all but one patient whose wearing-o ff increased; no one dropped out because of side effects. This 3-month double-blind study showed that TER, added to stable doses of L-dopa, may have slight antiparkinsonian efficacy.