Report on Safinamide uses, mechanism and side effects

Before knowing about the uses, mechanism and side-effects it is compulsory to know about the word safinamide in detail that what it is. There are many people who are not well aware of this word so, before digging further about it. Let’s start with the basic.

What is Safinamide?

It is a scientific word related with the medical, it is a monoamine oxidase inhibitor of type B and it is usually known from its short form which is (MAO-B). Next thing is its working, it works simply by allowing a chemical called with a name of dopamine which is present in the brain. This safinamide works with the dopamine so that it can work for the longer time duration, its effects remain for a long interval in short. As all of us know that when the level of dopamine reduces in the brain it leads towards a disease called as Parkinson’s disease. (Jancovic J 2008).

This safinamide is mostly given with other medicines like carbidopa and levodopa to make sure that muscle stiffness and loss of control (which usually happens in Parkinson’s disease) become better by its use.

Clinical use of safinamide in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease:

Parkinson’s disease:

Parkinson Disease which can also be called as PD, it is considered to be the second common neurodegenerative disorder. Death of the neurons take place or they can become inactive in the brain of the body. This disease effects the motion of a person. Some of the recent studies revealed that this disease is caused by the mutation in single gene. Genetic analyses came to know that the linkage to six regions of chromosome and also identified that three causative genes are present which are:

·         PARK1.

·         PARK2.

·         PARK7.

Due to the presence of this disease, it involves the malfunction and death of many nerve cells in the brain which are known as neurons. Parkinson firstly affects the neurons in the area of the brain known as substantia nigari. Some neurons which dies produces a chemical known as Dopamine. It is a chemical which sends the messages to the part of the brain which controls the movement and coordination. This chemical is very much important but as the Parkinson disease progresses the amount of dopamine produced in the brain decreases, which makes the person unable to control the movement normally.

Some scientists are also working and exploring on the idea that the loss and decrease of cells in other parts of the brain and body contributes to Parkinson disease.

For example researchers have concluded that the hallmark sign of Parkinson disease (clumps of protein alpha synuclein) also known as Lewy bodies are not only present in the mid brain but also in the brain stem and olfactory bulb. (Chaudhuri KR , Shapira AH 2009)

·         Shakiness:

·         Tremor, or shaking, often in a hand, arm, or leg, occurs when you're awake and sitting or standing still (resting tremor).

·         It gets better when you move that body part.

·         Tremor is often the first symptom that people with Parkinson's disease or their family members notice.

Stiffness:

·         This takes place when person bends the body part like arm or leg.

·         Movement of these body parts is not smooth.

·         Slowed down movement.

·         Problems with balance.

All the patients who have Parkinson disease don’t show same signs.

Start of this disease varies from person to person. Some people have this disease in young age while some have at the age of 60. This disease is commonly found in men more rather than women.

Safinamide uses, mechanism and side effects:

This safinamide works with the dopamine so that it can work for the longer time duration, its effects remain for a long interval in short. It is an oral medicine and used by the patients just once a day. This is an adjunctive therapy, was developed by the Newron pharmaceuticals to make sure that the motor function in the patients having Parkinson’s become better or improved. Patients with Parkinson’s experience the off episodes and this medication helps in its improvement. Dose also gets increased as disease gets progressed and results in the involuntary movements also called as Dyskinesia. One should not increase the dose until or unless recommended by the physician or consultant doctor. (Fabbrini G, 2007)

Mechanism of the safinamide drug of Safinamide uses, mechanism and side effects:

Previously in the older antiparkinsonian disease, different drugs were used like selegiline and rasagiline, safinamide is a drug which is now being used to treat this disease and the action of this drug is completely reversible. It also inhibits the release of glutamate and dopamine that are responsible for the cause of Parkinson’s. This safinamide drug also block the channels of calcium and sodium. Still this disease is not curable but symptoms become less.

Efficacy of Parkinson’s:

Efficacy of this drug completely depends on its use. Many people have this medication throughout their life while some just for few months. Along with the usage of this medication, it also depends on the severity of this disease that how severe PD is in a particular patient. Along with this there are many patients who get diagnosed at early stage and their treatment gets started and they recover soon enough, by recovery I mean the symptoms get reduced. While there are many patients with this disease who gets diagnosed at the later stages and therefore their treatment also get started late and as a result they recover late. There is no proper treatment for this disease by now apart from its medication as this disease is linked with the brain completely. Different precautions are being given to every patient by looking at their condition and one should try to be careful with them to get better or recover soon enough.

Factors behind this disease of Safinamide uses, mechanism and side effects:

Two factors are considered responsible for this disease so far.

1. Genetic factor of Safinamide uses, mechanism and side effects:

Majority of the cases of this disease are not inherited directly, 15 to 25 percent of people having this disease said that their relatives are also affected from this disease. Researchers found that people who have their first degree relatives affected from this disease such as parent or sibling have a chance of four to nine percent of having this disease as compared to the general population.

2. Environmental factor Safinamide uses, mechanism and side effects

Some scientists discovered that this disease can be occurred from the exposure to an environmental toxin or injury. They don’t have the PD by birth but serious incident or injury leads a person towards this major disease. (Müller T ; 2015).

Side effects of safinamide:

As with every medication, certain side effects are also linked and same is the case with safinamide. There are some of the side effects listed below: (Cruz, M.P., 2017).

·         One of the major side effect of this medication is the abnormal movement seen in the patients having Parkinson and using this medication.

·         Second one is the serious and sudden falls at any time as this medicine effects the brain so at times, patients become unconscious.

·         Nausea is another side effect. Patients feel heaviness all of the time and also feel difficulty while eating anything.

·         Laziness and anxiety without any reason. They feel depressed and become hyper on very small issues.

·         Level of blood pressure also increases through this medication.

·         Change in the sleep cycles, patients feel sleepy and inactive while doing their daily activities.

·         Coughing remains constant.

·         Indigestion is another biggest side effect of this medication.

Initially doctors advise to start this treatment only by having 50mg once a day. Then after some time duration, maybe after two or three weeks after the observation of doctor dose gets increased by 100 mg. Dose of this medicine starts with small amount as its side effects are too much so to make person or patient adapted to the changes in the body dose of this disease starts from 50mg and them moves further.

If the symptoms remain same and no changes are seen in the patient after having proper medication and taking different precautions, second step is the surgery. Patients who don’t recover with medicines, they undergo surgery. It is the next step of treatment. Through surgery areas in the brain are made inactive that causes the problem. This is the very serious step and many of the doctors try to avoid this surgery as it is associated with the brain and many other different changes can result. So, doctors always try their best to recover this disease with the help of proper medication.

References of Safinamide uses, mechanism and side effects

Jancovic J (2008) Parkinson’s disease: Clinical features and diagnosis. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 79, 368–376.

Chaudhuri KR , Shapira AH (2009) Non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease: Dopaminergic pathopshysiology and treatment. Lancet Neurol 8, 464–474.

Müller T (2015) The resurgence of neurotransmitter modulation in Parkinson’s disease with safinamide. JPRLS 5, 11–17.

Fabbrini G , Brotchie JM , Grandas F , Nomoto M , Goetz CG (2007) Levodopa-induced dyskinesia. Mov Disord 22, 1379–1389.

Cruz, M.P., 2017. Xadago (Safinamide): A Monoamine oxidase B inhibitor for the adjunct treatment of motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease. Pharmacy and Therapeutics, 42(10), p.622.