Dopamine - Therapeutic Use

Therapeutic Use

Under the trade names Intropan, Inovan, Revivan, Rivimine, Dopastat, and Dynatra, dopamine, as well as norepinephrine and epinephrine, are also used as pharmaceutical drugs in injectable forms in the emergency clinical treatment of severe hypotension and/or bradycardia, circulatory shock, and cardiac arrest, the latter of which for the purpose of cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Levodopa is a dopamine precursor used in various forms to treat Parkinson's disease and dopa-responsive dystonia. It is typically co-administered with an inhibitor of peripheral decarboxylation (DDC, dopa decarboxylase), such as carbidopa or benserazide. Inhibitors of alternative metabolic route for dopamine by catechol-O-methyl transferase are also used. These include entacapone and tolcapone.