The exact cause of dyskinesia is uncertain, but most agree that it is related to the long term use of certain medications, including the anti-Parkinsonian drug, levodopa. It is thought that an increased sensitivity to dopamine in the brain as a result of levodopa, combined with the natural progression of Parkinson’s, gives rise to dyskinesia.
Indeed, when levodopa reaches its peak of effectiveness and dopamine levels are at their highest, ‘peak-dose dyskinesia’ can occur, affecting over half of all people with Parkinson’s who have taken levodopa for five or more years1. Conversely, and less commonly, dyskinesia can also occur when levodopa is just starting to take effect or when it is wearing off – this is known as ‘diphasic dyskinesia’.
As dyskinesia can be triggered by long term use of levodopa, it tends to occur more as Parkinson’s progresses, and many young people with the disease choose to delay commencing levodopa therapy so as to avoid experiencing dyskinesia later in life.
