Parkinson’s patients in ‘ecstasy’

Can an illicit drug strongly associated with the ‘rave culture’ be used to develop medicines to cure, or ease the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease? A team led by University of Western Australia’s (UWA) medicinal chemist, Associate Professor Matthew Piggott, thinks it may be possible.

Professor Piggott, who is in Singapore, corresponded with DPS News via email to share the discoveries of this new research.

Without medication, Parkinson’s patients can have difficulty moving. The drug levodopa restores movement but, over time, side-effects often develop.

According to Professor Piggott, these side-effects may include a reduction in therapeutic duration (‘on-time’) and jerky, involuntary movements known as dyskinesia. He explains dyskinesia is often confused as a symptom of Parkinson’s, when in fact it is reportedly a side-effect of the treatment.

“For some time now, we’ve known that the drug most commonly sold as ‘ecstasy’, methlendioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), ameliorates the side-effects of levodopa therapy,” he says.

The team of UWA scientists, in collaboration with Parkinson’s experts in Toronto, has now demonstrated the possibility in dissociating the beneficial effects of ecstasy from its “undesirable” attributes.

According to Professor Piggott, the “best compound”, which they call ‘UWA-101’, is reportedly “even more” effective than MDMA at enhancing the quality of levodopa therapy.

UWA-101 reportedly lengthened on-time by up to 30%, and more importantly, UWA-101 increased the proportion of on-time that was of good quality (ie without disabling dyskinesia) by 178%.

Professor Piggott admits it is a concern Parkinson’s patients may misinterpret the findings of the study.

“This is always a concern, so when given the opportunity I try to convince people that taking ecstasy whether you suffer from Parkinson’s or not, is foolhardy.

“If you buy ecstasy on the street, there is a very good chance you will not get MDMA. Many drugs (often far more dangerous than MDMA) are sold as ecstasy, and unscrupulous providers only care about your money, not your safety,” he says. “Illicit drugs are also unlikely to be pure,” he adds.

According to Professor Piggott, while MDMA may provide temporary relief from dyskinesia in Parkinson’s patients, it is not suitable for long-term use.

“The only human (that I know of) to ever have experienced the beneficial effects of MDMA on dyskinesia, does not routinely take the drug because, in his words, he “does not want to be high all the time”.

“There is also evidence that MDMA causes brain damage, or at least long-term changes in brain chemistry. Given Parkinson’s patients already have a type of brain damage, I would think most would want to avoid the possibility of exacerbating that.”

Professor Piggott admits the research is not ready for the clinic, but with “further funding and some time”, it is possible the research could benefit Parkinson’s patients living in Australia.

“The work demonstrates Parkinson’s research is being undertaken both in Australia and internationally, and breakthroughs are constantly being made,” he says. “I hope this provides some hope for sufferers.”

American actor Michael J. Fox, who has lived with Parkinson’s disease for more than 20 years, is making his first Australian visit at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on 14 August 2012 to campaign for a Parkinson’s disease cure. Tickets available from Ticketmaster.