INDICATIONSLevodopa is changed to a chemical called dopamine (DOE pa meen) inside brain. Symptoms of Parkinson's disease might be due to 'abnormal' amounts of dopamine inside brain.
Carbidopa stops the breakdown of levodopa before it could reach the brain and take effect.
The mix of carbidopa and levodopa can be used to help remedy Parkinson symptoms such as muscle stiffness, tremors, spasms, and poor muscle control. This medication can also be used to treat Parkinson symptoms caused by carbon monoxide poisoning or manganese intoxication.
Carbidopa and levodopa may also be used for other purposes unlisted within this medication guide.
INSTRUCTIONS
If you happen to be already taking levodopa (Larodopa, Dopar), you should stop taking it no less than 12 hours before starting taking carbidopa and levodopa.
Take exactly as prescribed through your doctor. Do not take in larger or smaller amounts or for more than recommended. Follow the directions on your own prescription label.
Carbidopa and levodopa might be taken with or without food. Take your doses at regular intervals to maintain a reliable quantity of the drug in your body constantly.
Do not crush, chew, or break an extended-release tablet. Swallow the pill whole. Breaking or opening the pill could cause a lot of drug to be released at once.
The regular tablet could be broken or crushed if required to really succeed to swallow.
To take the orally disintegrating tablet (Parcopa):
Keep the tablet in its blister pack until you're ready to consider the medicine. Open the package and peel back the foil from today blister. Do not push a tablet through the foil or perhaps you may damage named.
Using dry hands, remove named and place it with your mouth. It will set out to dissolve without delay.
Do not swallow today whole. Allow it to dissolve within your mouth without chewing. Swallow more than once as today dissolves.
It may take up to many weeks of using carbidopa and levodopa before your symptoms improve. For best results, keep using the medication as directed. Talk with a medical expert if the symptoms do not improve right after weeks of treatment. Also educate doctor when the connection between prescription drugs seem to wear off quickly between doses.
To make certain this drugs are helping your problem and is not causing harmful effects, your blood must be tested often. Your heart, liver, and kidney function can also have to be tested. Visit your physician regularly.
This medication may cause unusual results with certain lab tests. Tell any doctor who treats you that you happen to be using carbidopa and levodopa.
STORAGE
Store at room temperature away from moisture, heat, and light.
MORE INFO:
Active Ingredient: Carbidopa and Levodopa
You may notice that your sweat, urine, or saliva appears dark in color, such as red, brown, or black. This is not a harmful complication, nevertheless it could potentially cause staining of one's clothes or bed linens.
Get emergency medical help in case you have some of these signs and symptoms of a hypersensitivity: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat. Call a medical expert simultaneously in case you have these serious negative effects:
restless muscle movements inside your eyes, tongue, jaw, or neck;
worsening of tremors (uncontrolled shaking);
high fever, stiff muscles, sweating, fast or uneven heartbeats, rapid breathing, feeling as you might distribute;
seizure (convulsions);
painful or difficult urination;
severe nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea;
uneven heartrate or fluttering with your chest;
confusion, hallucinations, anxiety, agitation, depressed mood, thoughts of suicide or hurting yourself;
chest pain or heavy feeling, pain spreading to the arm or shoulder.
Less serious negative effects may include:
mild nausea, dry mouth, loss in appetite, heartburn, diarrhea, constipation;
headache, dizziness, drowsiness, blurred vision;
sneezing, stuffy nose, cough, or any other cold symptoms;
sleep problems (insomnia), strange dreams;
muscle pain, numbness or tingly feeling; or
skin rash or itching.
This is not a complete list of unwanted effects while others may occur. Call your physician for health advice about unwanted effects.
Do not take carbidopa and levodopa for those who have used an MAO inhibitor like isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), or tranylcypromine (Parnate) within the past 14 days. Serious, life-threatening side effects may appear for carbidopa and levodopa prior to MAO inhibitor has cleared from your body.
You ought not take medicines if you are allergic to carbidopa (Lodosyn) or levodopa (Larodopa), or if you have:
narrow-angle glaucoma;
unusual lesions on the skin which may have not been checked by the doctor; or
a reputation malignant melanoma (skin cancer).
If you've some of these other conditions, you will need a dose adjustment or special tests:
heart disease, high blood pressure levels, coronary artery disease, a heart rhythm disorder, or even a prior heart attack;
asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other breathing disorder;
liver or kidney disease;
an endocrine (hormonal) disease;
a stomach or intestinal ulcer;
wide-angle glaucoma; or
depression and other mental illness.
Carbidopa and levodopa could cause you to get to sleep during normal daytime activities like working, talking, eating, or driving. You may drift off suddenly, despite feeling alert. Tell your doctor when you have any difficulties with daytime sleepiness or drowsiness.
You could have increased sexual urges, unusual urges to gamble, and other intense urges while taking carbidopa and levodopa. It is not known whether the medicine actually causes this effect. Talk with your medical professional if you feel you might have any intense or unusual urges while taking carbidopa and levodopa.
Some people taking medicines for Parkinson's disease have developed melanoma (melanoma). However, individuals with Parkinson's disease may have a greater risk than a lot of people for developing melanoma. Talk to a medical expert about your specific risk and what skin symptoms to look at for. You may need to have regular skin exams.
FDA pregnancy category C. It is not known whether carbidopa and levodopa will harm an baby. Tell your medical professional if you're pregnant or prefer to get pregnant when using prescription drugs. Carbidopa and levodopa may pass into breast milk and might harm a nursing baby. Do not use medicines without telling a medical expert if you happen to be breast-feeding an infant.
The disintegrating tablet (including Parcopa) could have phenylalanine. Talk to a medical expert before using this kind of carbidopa and levodopa in case you have phenylketonuria (PKU).
If you missed the dose go on it once you remember. Skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your upcoming scheduled dose. Do not take extra medicine to generate inside the missed dose.
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EMS: 3-8 business days