Drugs called dopamine agonists, used to treat Parkinson’s disease, may trigger sudden uncontrollable somnolence in about one in five patients.The side effect has been reported previously in people with Parkinson’s disease being treated with dopamine agonists, including Mirapex and Requip, “but controversy persists concerning their nature, severity, and frequency,” according to a report in the Archives of Neurology.Dr. Jerry Avorn and colleagues from Harvard Medical School, in Boston, quantified the risk of sudden uncontrollable somnolence in 929 patients taking drugs for Parkinson’s disease.
