apomorphine hydrochloride

An antiparkinsonian drug used for the treatment of 'off' episodes in Parkinson's disease, when the condition is poorly controlled by levodopa. It acts by stimulating dopamine receptors in the brain. Domperidone is given before, and during the first weeks of, treatment with apomorphine in order to minimize the nausea that this drug causes (see below). Apomorphine is available as a solution for injection on prescription only.

Side effects:
include nausea and vomiting, drowsiness, confusion, instability of posture with a tendency to fall, impairment of cognitive abilities, and personality changes.

Precautions:
apomorphine should not be given to people who are hypersensitive to opioids or who have depressed breathing or liver disease or to women who are breastfeeding. It should be used with caution in people who have a tendency to nausea and vomiting, in those with psychiatric problems, lung, liver, or heart disease, and in the elderly.

Interactions with other drugs:

Antipsychotics: these drugs antagonize the action of apomorphine.
Methyldopa antagonizes the action of apomorphine.

Proprietary preparation:
APO-go.

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