ABSTRACT
The main adverse effects of dopaminergic drugs used in Parkinson's disease are hypotension, somnolence, hallucinations and impulse control disorder. Less common is leg edema. We report on a 68-year-old male receiving levodopa and pramipexole consulting for severe leg edema lasting two years, whose etiology was not ascertained with multiple lab tests. This edema subsided substantially when pramipexole was discontinued and the dose of levodopa was increased to treat motor symptoms.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Aged , Parkinson Disease/drug therapy , Dopamine Agonists/adverse effects , Edema/chemically induced , Edema/pathology , Benzothiazoles/adverse effects , Leg/pathology , Levodopa/adverse effects , Pramipexole , Antiparkinson Agents/adverse effectsABSTRACT
Recurrent pleural effusions are relatively uncommon and as clinicians we keep drug induced pleural effusion lower in our list of differentials. Pramipexole induced recurrent pleural effusion can be life threatening if not recognized early and has been reported in literature only a few times. A 44 years old man with history of traumatic brain injury presented with pneumonitis and p leural effusion which was tapped. Patient returned with pleural effusion within 2 weeks and a careful analysis of all the risk factor and drugs revealed that the most likely etiology was chronic use of Pramipexole leading to recurrent pleural effusion and early pulmonary fibrosis. Pramipexole induced recurrent pleural effusion can cause significant morbidity and should be recognized early. Physician prescribing this medication should be aware of this rare side effect of the medication