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Levodopa
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Important Resources for Levodopa:
Levodopa is a precursor of dopamine, an important neurotransmitter in the brain and other parts of the body.This means that levodopa can be taken orally and converted into dopamine within the brain, thus replacing the dopamine that is depleted by the loss of nerve cells that make dopamine, one of the hallmarks of Parkinson's disease (PD). The reason that dopamine is not given orally is that it will not cross the 'blood-brain barrier', which only allows certain substances to cross from the blood stream (where oral medication ends up) and the brain. When levodopa converts to dopamine in the bloodstream, it can result in low blood pressure and nausea. Therefore, a substance called carbidopa was added to prevent this from happening before it crosses into the brain.
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