The dopamine precursor levodopa (also called L-Dopa) is typically used to treat symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. This medication may help reduce tremors (shaking), rigidity (muscle stiffness) and bradykinesia (slowness of movement). It may also improve gait, posture, swallowing, speech, handwriting, vigor, alertness, sense of well-being, excess salivation and seborrhea (oily, crusty, scaly skin). However, dopamine precursors do not cure Parkinson’s disease or delay its progression.

For four decades, levodopa has been the chief medication treatment for Parkinson’s disease. Seventy to 80 percent of patients with this illness are treated with levodopa, according to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation. Roughly three-quarters of patients with Parkinson’s disease who take levodopa therapy gain some benefit from it, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

Levodopa has also been used in the treatment of:

• Dopa-responsive dystonia (DRD)
  
  
• Multiple system atrophy (MSA)
  
  
• Restless leg syndrome (RLS)
  
  
• Periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD)

Some evidence suggests that levodopa may also be helpful in treating children with cerebral palsy.