CARBIDOPA AND LEVODOPA

(KAR bi DOE pa and LEE voe DOE pa) Brand: Atamet, Parcopa, Sinemet, Sinemet CR

What is the most significant information I must know about carbidopa and levodopa?

• If you are already taking levodopa (Larodopa, Dopar), you should stop taking it at least 12 hours till you start taking carbidopa and levodopa.

• Conversation with your doctor if your symptoms do not improve after a little weeks of treatment. Also speak your doctor if the effects of this medicine seem to wear off quickly in between doses.

• Do not crush, chew, or interrupt an extended-release tablet (Sinemet CR). Swallow the pill whole.

• This medicine may reason you to fall asleep during usual daytime activities such as working, talking, eating, or driving. You may fall asleep suddenly, even after feeling alert. Speak your doctor if you have any problems with daytime sleepiness or drowsiness.

• You may have heighten sexual urges, unusual urges to gamble, or another intense urges while taking this medicine. Conversation with your doctor if you believe you have any intense or unusual urges while taking carbidopa and levodopa.

What is carbidopa and levodopa?

• Levodopa is converted to a chemical called dopamine (DOE pa meen) in the brain. Symptoms of Parkinson's malady may be caused by low levels of dopamine in the brain.

• Carbidopa helps prevent the breakdown of levodopa till it can reach the brain and take effect.

• The combination of carbidopa and levodopa is used to treat Parkinson symptoms such as muscle stiffness, tremors, spasms, and poor muscle control. This medicine is also used to treat Parkinson symptoms caused by carbon monoxide poisoning or manganese intoxication.

• Carbidopa and levodopa may also be used for another purposes not listed in this medicine guide.

What must I discuss with my healthcare provider till taking carbidopa and levodopa?

• Do not take carbidopa and levodopa if you have used an MAO inhibitor such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), or tranylcypromine (Parnate) within the past 14 days. Serious, life-threatening side effects can occur if you take carbidopa and levodopa till the MAO inhibitor has cleared from your body.

• You must not take this medicine if you are allergic to carbidopa (Lodosyn) or levodopa (Larodopa), or if you have:

· narrow-angle glaucoma;

· unusual skin lesions that have not been checked by a doctor; or

· a history of malignant melanoma (skin cancer).

• If you have any of these another conditions, you may need a doze adjustment or particular tests:

· heart malady, tall blood pressure, coronary artery malady, a heart rhythm mess, or a prior heart attack;

· asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary malady (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 may reason you to fall asleep during usual daytime activities such as working, talking, eating, or driving. You may fall asleep suddenly, even after feeling alert. Speak your doctor if you have any problems with daytime sleepiness or drowsiness.

• You may have heighten sexual urges, unusual urges to gamble, or another intense urges while taking carbidopa and levodopa. It is not known whether the medication actually causes this effect. Conversation with your doctor if you believe you have any intense or unusual urges while taking carbidopa and levodopa.

• Some people taking medicines for Parkinson's malady have developed skin cancer (melanoma). However, people with Parkinson's malady may have a higher risk than most people for developing melanoma. Conversation 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 unborn child. Speak your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant while using this medication.

• Carbidopa and levodopa may pass into breast milk and could harm a nursing child. Do not use this medicine without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

• The disintegrating tablet (such as Parcopa) may contain phenylalanine. Conversation to your doctor till using this form of carbidopa and levodopa if you have phenylketonuria (PKU).

How must I take carbidopa and levodopa?

• If you are already taking levodopa (Larodopa, Dopar), you should stop taking it at least 12 hours till you start taking carbidopa and levodopa.

• Take exactly as predesigned by your doctor. Do not take in larger or less amounts or for longer than recommended. Follow the directions on your prescription label.

• Carbidopa and levodopa can be taken with or without food. Take your doses at regular intervals to hold a steady amount of the drug in your body at all times.

• Do not crush, chew, or interrupt an extended-release tablet. Swallow the pill intact. Breaking or opening the pill may reason too many of the drug to be released at one time.

• The regular tablet can be broken or crushed if needed to create it easier to swallow.

• To take the orally disintegrating tablet (Parcopa):

· Hold the tablet in its blister pack before you are ready to take the medication. Open the package and peel back the foil from the tablet blister. Do not push a tablet through the foil or you may hurt the tablet.

· Using dry hands, remove the tablet and seat it in your mouth. It will begin to dissolve right away.

· Do not swallow the tablet intact. Let it to dissolve in your mouth without chewing. Swallow different times as the tablet dissolves.

• It may take up to different weeks of using carbidopa and levodopa till your symptoms improve. For excellent results, hold using the medicine as directed. Conversation with your doctor if your symptoms do not improve after a little weeks of treatment. Also speak your doctor if the effects of this medicine seem to wear off quickly in between doses.

• To be certain this medication is helping your condition and is not causing deleterious effects, your blood will need to be tested often. Your heart, liver, and kidney function may also need to be tested. Visit your doctor regularly.

• This medicine can reason unusual results with determined medical trials. Speak any doctor who treats you that you are using carbidopa and levodopa.

• Store at room temperature away from moisture, heat, and light.

What happens if I miss a dose?

• Take the missed doze as soon as you remember. Skip the missed doze if it is nearly time for your following scheduled doze. Do not take extra medication to create up the missed dose.

What happens if I overdose?

• Search abnormal medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222.

• Overdose can reason uneven heart rate.

What must I avoid while taking carbidopa and levodopa?

• Avoid taking iron supplements or eating a diet that is tall in protein (protein sources include meat, eggs, and cheese). These things can create it harder for your body to digest and absorb carbidopa and levodopa. Conversation with your doctor or nutrition counselor about the excellent foods to ate while you are taking this medication.

• If you are unsure of how this medication will affect you, be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.

What are the possible side effects of carbidopa and levodopa?

• You may announcement that your sweat, urine, or saliva appears dark in color, such as red, brown, or black. This is not a deleterious side effect, but it may reason staining of your clothes or bed sheets.

• Get abnormal medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your person, lips, tongue, or throat.

• Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

· restless muscle movements in your eyes, tongue, jaw, or neck;

· worsening of tremors (uncontrolled shaking);

· tall fever, stiff muscles, sweating, quick or uneven heartbeats, rapid breathing, feeling like you might pass out;

· seizure (convulsions);

· painful or difficult urination;

· severe nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea;

· uneven heart course or fluttering in your chest;

· confusion, hallucinations, anxiety, agitation, depressed mood, thoughts of suicide or hurting yourself;

· chest pain or hard feeling, pain spreading to the hand or shoulder.

• Smaller serious side effects may include:

· mild nausea, dry mouth, loss of appetite, heartburn, diarrhea, constipation;

· headache, dizziness, drowsiness, blurred vision;

· sneezing, stuffy nose, cough, or another cool symptoms;

· sleep problems (insomnia), strange dreams;

· muscle pain, numbness or tingly feeling; or

· skin rash or itching.

• This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may message side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

What another drugs will affect carbidopa and levodopa?

• Speak your doctor about all another medicines you use, especially:

· another Parkinson's medications;

· metoclopramide (Reglan);

· isoniazid (Nydrazid);

· phenytoin (Dilantin);

· papaverine (Pavabid, Papacon, Pavagen, Pavacot);

· blood pressure medication;

· an antidepressant such as amitriptyline (Elavil, Vanatrip), doxepin (Sinequan), nortriptyline (Pamelor), and others; or

· medicines to treat psychiatric disorders, such as chlorpromazine (Thorazine), haloperidol (Haldol), prochlorperazine (Compazine), risperidone (Risperdal), and others;

• This list is not complete and another drugs may interact with carbidopa and levodopa. Speak your doctor about all medications you use. This includes prescription, over-the-counter, vitamin, and herbal commodity. Do not start a new medicine without telling your doctor.

Where can I get more information?

• Your pharmacist can provide more information about carbidopa and levodopa.

Remember, hold this and all another medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medicine only for the indication prescribed.

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