In this clear, practical and highly relatable session, Dr Quentes De Vries — Geriatrician and General Physician at Beach Brain Clinic — breaks down exactly how Parkinson’s medications work, why symptoms fluctuate, and what patients can do to improve day-to-day management.
About This Video
Dr De Vries explains the essential medical concepts every person with Parkinson’s and every carer needs to understand:
- What Parkinson’s Actually Is
- Dopamine loss and how symptoms progress over decades
- Motor vs non-motor symptoms
- Early non-motor signs (loss of smell, constipation, sleep disturbance)
- Why diagnosis is clinical — not based on a single test
- Risk Factors & Protective Factors
- Pesticides, rural exposure, golf course chemicals, heavy metals, head injury
- Genetics, ageing, sex differences
- Caffeine, exercise and Mediterranean diet as possible protective factors
- How Parkinson’s Medications Work
He explains each drug group in simple language:- Levodopa (Madopar, Sinemet, Kinson)
- Dopamine agonists (patches and tablets)
- MAO-B inhibitors
- COMT inhibitors
Including:
Protein timing and levodopa absorption
Nausea, blood pressure drops, confusion, diarrhoea
Impulse control disorders (gambling, overspending, hypersexuality)
- Motor Fluctuations Explained
A highly practical section covering:- “Wearing off”
- “Delayed on”
- “No on” episodes
- Dyskinesia (too much movement)
- Why some people feel a missed dose immediately while others don’t
- Dopamine “reserve capacity” and why it shrinks over time
- Sleep & Autonomic Dysfunction
- REM Behaviour Disorder (acting out dreams)
- Night-time toilet frequency
- Restless legs
- Supine hypertension / standing low BP
- Pain, rigidity and difficulty turning in bed
- Why poor sleep increases falls
- Advanced Therapies
- A practical overview of when and why they are used:
- Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)
- Duodopa intestinal pump
- Apomorphine infusion
- Vyale (new PBS-listed skin-infused levodopa)
- Which patients benefit most and why patient selection matters
This session is direct, realistic and packed with explanations that help families understand why symptoms change — and what can be done to manage them better day-to-day.
Key Themes & Keywords
Parkinson’s medications, levodopa timing, motor fluctuations, dyskinesia, wearing off, bradykinesia, REM behaviour disorder, Parkinson’s sleep problems, dopamine reserve, COMT inhibitors, dopamine agonists, Parkinson’s risk factors, Beach Brain Clinic, advanced Parkinson’s therapies, DBS, Duodopa, Vyale, apomorphine infusion.
Who This Video Helps
- People living with Parkinson’s
- Partners and carers
- Physiotherapists, EPs and allied health clinicians
- Nurses, medical students and aged-care professionals
- Anyone wanting to understand Parkinson’s medications clearly
