My 89 yr old dad has had Parkinson’s for four years, but it is advancing quite quickly. He freezes a lot and has been prescribed Rotigotine patches. The side effects look pretty nasty. Has anyone got experience of this?
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Hi Carrie 66
I take 6mg rotigotine patches no side effects
Welcome to the forum, @Carrie66, and thank you for sharing your dad’s story.
To explain, rotigotine patches are a type of dopamine agonist, which work by mimicking dopamine in the brain to help reduce Parkinson’s symptoms.
To reassure you, the leaflet information can look scary because it lists every possible side effect, but not everyone will experience them.
If you’d like to read more about how dopamine agonists (including rotigotine) work, this page on our website explains it well.
Hopefully others here can share their personal experiences too. And if your dad does try the patches, it’s always worth letting his Parkinson’s nurse or GP know if anything worries you.
And you can of course speak to one of our trained experts or specialist nurses on our free helpline: 0808 800 0303 (9am and 6pm Monday to Friday, and 10am and 1pm on Saturdays). They’d be happy to offer support and advice if you need it.
All the best 
Parkinson’s UK Moderation Team