Valproate as a treatment for dopamine dysregulation syndrome (DDS) in Parkinson’s disease

It has been previously well established that the use of dopaminergic agents in Parkinson’s disease may contribute to behavioral disturbances such as dopamine dysregulation syndrome (DDS), impulse control disorders (ICD), and punding. ICD and punding have been most commonly addressed by reducing dose or by discontinuing the use of a dopamine agonist. Treatment of DDS has proven more challenging, and to date there has been no standard approach. In this paper, we review a series of four patients who met criteria for DDS, who were all refractory to medication adjustments. The DDS symptoms responded by the addition of valproic acid in all cases.