Drug reference
l-dopa
Dopamine Precursor · Parkinson's disease treatment
Dopamine PrecursorParkinson's disease treatment
CDSCO approved
EXCRETION
—
not curated
INTERACTIONS
—
none in our sources
PREGNANCY
—
not curated
Mechanism
Readily crosses the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and is converted to dopamine (DA) in the brain. Commonly formulated with a decarboxylase inhibitor to prevent peripheral conversion to DA.
Indications
Parkinson's disease
Side effects
Serious
- Loss of effectiveness with long-term treatment
- L-DOPA–induced dyskinesias
Related guidelines
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Textbook-sourced·Sources: Goodman & Gilman 14e·Updated: 2026-05-10