Goals of Parkinson’s Disease Medication

Because there’s no cure for Parkinson’s Disease, medications approved for its treatment are only designed to treat the symptoms. Most often, Parkinson’s medications are geared toward regulating hormones and neurotransmitters in the brain — specifically, dopamine.

Dopamine is believed to play a major factor in Parkinson’s Disease, even though scientists have yet to discover definitively what causes this degenerative disease. While they believe it’s a variety of factors — both environmental and genetic — they haven’t been able to pinpoint a more specific reason people develop the disease.

Fortunately, they have found ways to treat the symptoms. Here are the most common Parkinson’s medications that you can purchase at NorthWestPharmacy.com.

Azilect

Azilect (rasagiline mesylate) is a common Parkinson’s Disease medication aimed at maintaining dopamine levels. Rasagiline mesylate is classified as a monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B) inhibitor and its job is to block the enzyme MAO-B from breaking down dopamine in the brain. The theory is that if the brain has better dopamine stores, symptoms such as tremors, slow movements, and stiffness can be alleviated.

Because there is no cure for Parkinson’s Disease, it will continue to worsen over time, which may necessitate a different prescription medication plan. Even though medications may change, Azilect may still be part of the overall symptom management plan because of the benefits of dopamine for Parkinson’s sufferers.

Despite the fact that there’s a generic alternative for Azilect, it’s still quite expensive. In the United States, the cash price starts at about $975.00 for a 30-day supply (about $32.50 per pill).

At NorthWestPharmacy.com, you can buy 30 pills of Azilect for about $320.00 (about $10.67 per pill).

Neupro Patches

The Neupro (rotigotine) patch is another common Parkinson’s medication that targets dopamine supplies in the brain. Rotigotine has been known to alleviate Parkinson’s symptoms such as tremors, stiffness, muscle spasms, and decreased muscle control.

Each Neupro patch is suitable for 24 hours of use. You’ll need a new patch every single day, as the medication will have been absorbed into your system during that time, rendering the patch useless.

Like Azilect, Neupro patches may not be enough to manage symptoms as Parkinson’s Disease progresses. However, it still may provide some relief when combined with other Parkinson’s medications.

Neupro comes in multiple doses, but not in a generic version at this time. That, in addition the fact that it’s a patch (rather than a pill) means that it’s more expensive than one might hope. In the United States, you can expect to pay about $775.00 cash for a one-month supply of Neupro patches ($25.83 per patch).

At NorthWestPharmacy.com, you buy Neupro patches in the same quantity starting at about $225.00 ($7.50 per patch).

Xadago

Much like the two previous Parkinson’s medications on this list, Xadago (safinamide) targets dopamine levels in the brain. Safinamide is another MAO-B inhibitor that often proves effective at alleviating Parkinson’s symptoms.

Another benefit of safinamide is that it pulls double duty. Not only does it help boost dopamine levels, but it inhibits the release of glutamate — an amino acid that experts believe speeds up the process of brain neuron death. The death of brain neurons is believed to be a contributing factor to Parkinson’s Disease symptoms.

Like the Neupro patches, there is no generic available at this time, and given the ability of Xadago to perform more than one critical function, it’s quite costly. In the United States, you can expect to pay about $960.00 cash for a 30-day supply ($32.00 per pill).

At NorthWestPharmacy.com, you can buy Xadago starting at about $170.00 ($5.67 per pill) for the same quantity.

Parsitan

Parsitan (ethopropazine) is different from the medications already mentioned here. Ethopropazine is in a classification of medicine called phenothiazine drugs, which are technically antipsychotics. Ethopropazine is used to treat many different medical conditions, but in the case of Parkinson’s, it’s used because of the way it interacts with dopamine.

Phenothiazines are dopamine antagonists, which means that they block the absorption of dopamine by their designated receptors. This increases the level of dopamine in the brain, which should help alleviate Parkinson’s symptoms.

But Parsitan is used for another important reason — it reduces activity from a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is critical for communication between muscles and nerves. When this neurotransmitter is overactive, it causes jerky movements and stiffness. By reducing its activity, movements can be smoother and more controlled.

Parsitan is quite difficult to find in the United States. In fact, most online American pharmacies don’t sell it, and there is no generic version at this time.

Despite these challenges that often drive up price, Parsitan is relatively affordable. You can purchase a 100-day supply of Parsitan for about $51.00 ($0.51 per pill) at NorthWestPharmacy.com.

Sinemet

Sinemet (carbidopa/levodopa) also targets dopamine levels in the brain, but it tackles it in a slightly different way. Instead of relying on the dopamine that is naturally made by the brain, it provides extra, as well as stops receptors from absorbing it.

Levodopa is actually a medication that is converted into dopamine when it reaches the brain. Carbidopa travels alongside the levodopa to make sure it doesn’t convert too soon, which allows the brain to maximize the effects of Sinemet.

Sinemet is often one of the first pills prescribed for people recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, sometimes in conjunction with other dopamine boosters on this list. It’s very common among Parkinson’s patients.

In the U.S., you’re only likely to find the generic form of Sinemet because generics are always preferred by insurance companies (they’re typically less expensive). However, sometimes people do not respond as well to generics, or they experience side effects that they didn’t with the name brand. This is often due to the different inactive ingredients that may be used, as the active ingredients and their doses must generally be the exact same in order to be approved as a generic.

At NorthWestPharmacy.com, you can buy 100 pills of Sinemet for about $83.00 ($0.83 per pill).

Stalevo

Stalevo (carbidopa/levodopa/entacapone) is very similar to Sinemet, but with an added ingredient. The carbidopa and levodopa act in the same way — providing the materials needed for dopamine conversion, and then delaying the process so it’s not absorbed too early — but the entacapone adds a different benefit.

Entacapone works by inhibiting catechol-O-methyl transferase enzymes, which can break down levodopa before it has a chance to actually help (i.e. before it’s converted into dopamine). Some Parkinson’s patients taking Stalevo report that the medication doesn’t “wear off” as quickly as others, like Sinemet.

Stalevo is often prescribed after Parkinson’s Disease has progressed and medications like Sinemet aren’t working quite as well anymore. As with many medical conditions, prescription drugs are often handled in a step-up format in order to keep patients as responsive to the medication as possible for as long as possible.

Like Sinemet, the generic is most widely available in the U.S. If you need or prefer the brand name, it’s available at NorthWestPharmacy.com. You can purchase a 100-day supply starting at about $243.00 (about $2.43 per pill).

Mirapex ER

Mirapex ER (pramipexole extended release) is classified as a dopamine agonist, which means that it imitates the effects of dopamine when levels in the brain are low. Note that antagonists and agonists are not the same, although the words look similar and your brain may fill in what it thinks it saw.

Any medication that is labeled “extended release” means that it is designed to be released into the system slowly over a period of time. Because Mirapex is a daily medication, the active ingredient will be released over a 24-hour period so that the patient doesn’t feel a “drop off” in between their doses.

For Parkinson’s patients, this should translate into more fluid movement all day, as opposed to feeling the effects wear off by nighttime, or in the early morning when they wake up.

In the U.S., a one-month supply of Mirapex ER typically costs about $720.00, or about $24.00 per pill. Even the generic is rather expensive, starting at about $354.00 for a 30-day supply of the same 1.5 mg dose (about $11.80 per pill).

At NorthWestPharmacy.com, you can purchase a 90-day supply of Mirapex ER for about $286.00, or $3.18 per pill. At this time, we do not have access to a generic version, but the brand name price is far below even the generic in the U.S.

Sinemet CR

Sinemet CR (carbidopa/levodopa controlled release) is a modified formula from regular Sinemet. It’s the exact same medication but designed to release specific amounts of the active ingredient over a period of time. Because Sinemet CR is a daily pill, these amounts will be released over a 24-hour period.

Because there is a generic version readily available in the United States, name brand Sinemet CR is difficult to find. At NorthWestPharmacy.com, you can purchase a 60-day supply of name brand Sinemet CR for about $86.00, or $1.43 per pill.

Saving Money on Popular Parkinson’s Medication

Given the number of Parkinson’s Disease medications on the market and availability of generics, it’s surprising to see the price of some of these drugs is still set so high. Depending on your prescription coverage (if you have coverage in the first place), the price of your medication could actually be more expensive if you purchase it within the United States.

If this is the case — if you’re struggling under the burden of your expensive Parkinson’s medication — we’re happy to say that we may be able to provide some relief.

At NorthWestPharmacy.com, you can purchase the Parkinson’s medication you need at a fraction of the cost that you’d pay in the U.S. We’re so sure of our prices that we even have a lowest price guarantee — if you find a lower price for your medication, just tell us. We’ll beat it.

We believe we’re the best online pharmacy out there, and we have plenty of evidence to back that claim up.

First of all, we value safety first and foremost, which means we’ve put a significant amount of effort into ensuring that our quality standards are extremely high. In order to do so, we follow strict guidelines set by two professional pharmacy associations: the Canadian International Pharmacy Association (CIPA) and the International Pharmacy Association of British Columbia (IPABC).

All this work has paid off, and our outstanding safety record proves it.

Second, we prioritize customer service and satisfaction. We accomplish this by offering unparalleled customer service with a call center staffed by knowledgeable representatives who will walk you through the ordering process, find your medication, and answer any of your questions.

You can be assured that we’re doing a great job because our 400,000+ online pharmacy reviews are overwhelmingly positive and make us the most reviewed and independently five-star rated online pharmacy in the world. We’re particularly proud of these reviews because they’re submitted through third-party websites that are designed to make people feel comfortable submitting feedback without interference or undue influence from the company being rated.

Our exceptionally high star rating speaks for itself — our customers are happy with us, and almost all of them return to us for their medicinal (or pet) needs.

If you’re ready to place an order, or if you just have questions, please give us a call at 1-866-539-5330. Of course, you can always email us if the phone isn’t your preferred method of communication, or you’re trying to reach us outside of business hours. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible. We look forward to hearing from you soon!