INDICATIONSLevodopa is changed into a chemical called dopamine (DOE pa meen) inside brain. Symptoms of Parkinson's disease could possibly be due to lower levels of dopamine within the brain.
Carbidopa aids in preventing the breakdown of levodopa before it may reach the brain and be effective.
The blend of carbidopa and levodopa is utilized to take care of Parkinson symptoms like muscle stiffness, tremors, spasms, and poor muscle control. This medication is also used to take care of Parkinson symptoms brought on by deadly carbon monoxide poisoning or manganese intoxication.
Carbidopa and levodopa could also be used for other purposes not listed within this medication guide.
INSTRUCTIONS
If you happen to be already taking levodopa (Larodopa, Dopar), you need to stop taking it a minimum of 12 hours before starting taking carbidopa and levodopa.
Take the same manner prescribed by your doctor. Do not take in larger or smaller amounts or longer than recommended. Follow the directions in your prescription label.
Carbidopa and levodopa might be taken with or without food. Take your doses at regular intervals to hold a comfortable volume of the drug within you always.
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 previously.
The regular tablet may be broken or crushed if needed to really succeed to swallow.
To consider the orally disintegrating tablet (Parcopa):
Keep named in its blister pack until you happen to be ready to consider the medicine. Open the package and peel back the foil from named blister. Do not push a tablet over the foil or you damages these days.
Using dry hands, remove these days and put it within your mouth. It will start to dissolve immediately.
Do not swallow today whole. Allow it to dissolve within your mouth without chewing. Swallow several times as the tablet dissolves.
It may take up to a few months utilizing carbidopa and levodopa before your symptoms improve. For best results, keep while using the medication as directed. Talk with your medical professional should your symptoms tend not to improve after a couple of weeks of treatment. Also inform your doctor if your results of this medication manage to wear off quickly in between doses.
To be sure this drugs are helping your complaint 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 a medical expert regularly.
This medication can cause unusual results with certain medical tests. Tell any doctor who treats you that you're using carbidopa and levodopa.
STORAGE
Store at room temperature away from moisture, heat, and light.
MORE INFO:
Active Ingredient: Carbidopa and Levodopa
You may observe that your sweat, urine, or saliva appears dark in color, such as red, brown, or black. This is not a harmful complication, nonetheless it might cause staining of the clothes or bedsheets.
Get emergency medical help when you have any of these warning signs of a hypersensitivity: hives; breathlessness; swelling of one's face, lips, tongue, or throat. Call your doctor immediately if you have these serious negative effects:
restless muscle movements in 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 pass out;
seizure (convulsions);
painful or difficult urination;
severe nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea;
uneven heartbeat or fluttering within your chest;
confusion, hallucinations, anxiety, agitation, depressed mood, thoughts of suicide or hurting yourself;
chest pain or heavy feeling, pain spreading towards the arm or shoulder.
Less serious negative effects may include:
mild nausea, dry mouth, decrease of appetite, heartburn, diarrhea, constipation;
headache, dizziness, drowsiness, blurred vision;
sneezing, stuffy nose, cough, or another cold symptoms;
sleep problems (insomnia), strange dreams;
muscle pain, numbness or tingly feeling; or
skin rash or itching.
This is not a complete listing of unwanted side effects among 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 including isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), or tranylcypromine (Parnate) within the past two weeks. Serious, life-threatening unwanted effects can happen with carbidopa and levodopa ahead of the MAO inhibitor has cleared from your body.
You should not take this medication if you are allergic to carbidopa (Lodosyn) or levodopa (Larodopa), or when you have:
narrow-angle glaucoma;
unusual skin lesions who have not been checked by way of a doctor; or
a reputation malignant melanoma (melanoma).
If you might have these other conditions, you need a dose adjustment or special tests:
heart disease, high blood pressure, heart disease, a heart rhythm disorder, or a prior cardiac arrest;
asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or another breathing disorder;
liver or kidney disease;
an endocrine (hormonal) disease;
a stomach or intestinal ulcer;
wide-angle glaucoma; or
depression or another mental illness.
Carbidopa and levodopa might cause you to fall asleep during normal daytime activities such as working, talking, eating, or driving. You may go to sleep suddenly, despite feeling alert. Tell your medical professional if you have any difficulties with daytime sleepiness or drowsiness.
You might have increased sexual urges, unusual urges to gamble, or any other intense urges while taking carbidopa and levodopa. It is not known perhaps the medicine actually causes this effect. Talk with a medical expert if you think maybe you have any intense or unusual urges while taking carbidopa and levodopa.
Some people taking medicines for Parkinson's disease have developed skin cancer (melanoma). However, individuals with Parkinson's disease may have a the upper chances than most of the people for developing melanoma. Talk to your doctor about your specific risk and what skin symptoms to watch 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 doctor if you might be pregnant or plan to get pregnant when using medicines. Carbidopa and levodopa may pass into breast milk and can harm a nursing baby. Do not use medicines without telling your doctor if you might be breast-feeding a baby.
The disintegrating tablet (like Parcopa) might have phenylalanine. Talk to your doctor before employing this kind of carbidopa and levodopa if you have phenylketonuria (PKU).
If you missed the dose get it as soon as you remember. Skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your forthcoming scheduled dose. Do not take extra medicine to generate up the missed dose.
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EMS: 3-8 business days