Exenatide: anti-diabetes medicine seems to have beneficial effects even in the treatment of Parkinson's - WeAreParky analysis.

[Farooqji]

Has anyone tried it?

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[Maxkas]

I’m about to try Metformin which is another diabetes medication which is in clinical trials for beneficial to PD

Has anyone used it thanks

[PDConscience]

I haven't tried it but, if I lived closer to Florida, this is one trial I'd happily participate in (rather than await its market debut years from now). NEW SCIENTIST article [Aug2017], 'We may finally be able to slow Parkinson’s, with a diabetes drug':

"There is still no cure for Parkinson’s. While replacing dopamine can improve the tremors and stiffness, it doesn’t stop the brain from continuing to deteriorate. In an attempt to slow this, Foltynie and his colleagues have turned to a drug typically used to treat type 2 diabetes, called exenatide.

"This drug comes from a class of compounds originally isolated from the venom of a lizard called the gila monster. Not only can these help control blood sugar levels – which is useful for people with diabetes – this kind of drug also seems to protect neurons from toxins.

"Improved symptoms: Foltynie’s colleagues gave exenatide to 31 people with moderate Parkinson’s disease over 48 weeks. The participants injected themselves with the drug every day – except the day before assessments – while 29 people with a similar level of disease did the same with a placebo. Eight weeks after the end of the trial, Foltynie’s team assessed all the volunteers’ symptoms. Those who had received the placebo had deteriorated over the course of the year – by an average of three points on a 200-point scale, a typical rate of decline for people with Parkinson’s.

"But those who had taken exenatide showed an average improvement of one point, putting them, on average, four points ahead of the placebo group. Brain scans also showed that those taking the drug showed less degeneration." Source: newscientist.com/article/21...

Ongoing Trial (recruiting): clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show...

[Hidden]

It has been trialled in the UK and results are awaited: ucl.ac.uk/cctu/research-are...

[francis6]

drugs to control T2 diabetes (such as exenatide) are/have been trialled with some success and there is a school of thought that PD is a form of insulin resistance in the Brain. Rather than try to obtain another drug I follow a regime that has been shown to stop / reverse T2 diabetes.

[lorakitty in reply to francis6]

Hi! What regime do you follow and how long have you been on it?

[francis6 in reply to lorakitty]

Basically exercise and diet. I try to walk 3 or so miles per day, swimming when the weather is nice and floor/stretching exercises that my physio recommends. After diagnosis (about 20 months ago) I dropped anything with sugar in it and 5 months ago I dropped most carbs as well (approx a ketogenic diet). It was difficult for a while but my muscles are a lot looser than before. Other health benefits (weight, blood pressure, sleep) have also accrued and I have cut my Sinimet by about 2/3rds. The negative effects of my diet disappeared when I cut back on Sinimet - you can make what you want of that. My wife has been T2 diabetic for about 10 years but is now classed as "pre-diabetic" and has cut her meds too.

My consultant is at UCLH (where Exenatide has been trialled) and I have asked them if they have considered recommending patients follow a diabetic diet (like ketogenic) which are generally healthier anyway. They shrug their shoulders. I get the impression they are more interested in a chemical approach.

[Farooqji]

Latest press release on the subject

eurekalert.org/pub_releases...

[Hikoi]

cureparkinsons.org.uk/news/...

Arrticle and video with Foltynie who led the study in UK

‘A randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled trial of Exenatide once-weekly in Parkinson’s disease,’ published in The Lancet

Also a video by Foltynie about why clinical trials take so long

worldpdcongress.org/home/20...