Cough suppressant may help in Parkinson's

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- A cough suppressant may help curb the involuntary movements that are the side effects of taking a Parkinson's disease medication, U.S. researchers say.

Lead author Melanie A. Paquette, a post-doctoral fellow at the Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine, and researchers at the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center say dextromethorphan -- used in such cold and flu medications -- suppresses dyskinesias, the spastic or repetitive motions that result from taking levodopa over long periods, in rats. The researchers also found that BMY-14802, a drug previously tested in people with schizophrenia, suppressed dyskinesias in rats more effectively than dextromethorphan did -- suggesting that BMY-14802 might work to block dyskinesias in people with Parkinson's.

"These results were unexpected, but very exciting," Paquette said in a statement. "We have filed a patent for the use of BMY-14802 for dyskinesias and we hope to get funding to begin human trials very soon."

The study results were presented at the 37th annual Society for Neuroscience conference in San Diego.