A kitchen timer can work, too. Sinemet can be taken either with or without food. However, you should avoid taking Sinemet with foods that are high in protein. Some examples of high-protein foods are meat, eggs, or tofu. Eating high-protein foods when you take your Sinemet dose may lengthen the time it takes for your body to absorb the drug.
This delay means that your PD symptoms may not be reduced as quickly as usual after taking your dose. This means that the drug may not work as well to treat your PD symptoms. Talk with your doctor or pharmacist about when the best times are for you to take your Sinemet doses.
They will be able to help you determine the best times, based on your other medications and your normal mealtimes. Symptoms of an overdose can include arrhythmias changes in heart rhythm. In animal studies , very high doses of Sinemet caused death. In these studies, doses of milligrams mg to 2, mg of levodopa per kilogram of body weight were given.
You can also call the American Association of Poison Control Centers at or use their online tool. But if your symptoms are severe, call or your local emergency number, or go to the nearest emergency room right away.
Yes, Sinemet can be taken at night. Sinemet dosages can vary from person to person, depending on the condition being treated. If you have questions about when you can take Sinemet, talk with your doctor. They can help you determine the best times for you to take your Sinemet dose. This may be most noticeable right before you take your next scheduled dose. They may increase your dose of the drug.
Or they may have you take doses of Sinemet more frequently. Your doctor may also have you take an additional medication along with Sinemet to help treat your condition. Maybe, but it depends on how Sinemet affects your body. In some people, Sinemet may cause sleepiness or even make them fall asleep suddenly. Your doctor will ask you about any other medications you take and any conditions you have that might be causing your sleepiness. For example, you may be more likely to experience sleepiness while taking Sinemet if you also take other drugs that may make you sleepy, or if you have a sleep disorder.
Your doctor may recommend that you avoid driving until you know how Sinemet affects you. If you do become sleepy while taking Sinemet and this sleepiness affects your daily life, your doctor may either:.
This would be for the safety of yourself and others. With a CR formulation, small amounts of the drug are released into your body at a time. This helps keep the amount of drug in your body consistent over time. In comparison, Sinemet is immediate-release IR , which means the drug is released all at once after you take a dose.
Effects of IR drugs may not last as long as do those of ER drugs. In fact, Merck has said that if you have Sinemet CR at home, you can continue taking it. The reason Sinemet CR is no longer produced is because only a very small number of people used it.
And the generic form is still available. If you have questions about Sinemet CR or the best form of medication for you, talk with your doctor. You should never suddenly stop taking Sinemet. Stopping Sinemet suddenly can cause serious side effects called withdrawal symptoms. During withdrawal, you have unpleasant symptoms when you stop taking a drug that your body has become dependent upon. With dependence, your body needs the drug for you to feel normal.
Symptoms can include:. Before you stop taking Sinemet, be sure to talk with your doctor. They may slowly reduce your dosage of the drug so that your body can adjust to the change.
Slowly reducing your dosage decreases your risk of withdrawal symptoms. Dopamine is a brain chemical that helps control your movements and send messages in your body. In people with PD or parkinsonism, the brain cells that usually produce dopamine begin to die or stop working. This causes low levels of dopamine in the brain. Having low dopamine levels can cause symptoms of PD or parkinsonism to occur. And as the amount of dopamine in the brain decreases, PD and parkinsonism symptoms tend to gradually get worse.
Sinemet contains the following two active drugs, which work together to increase dopamine levels:. Sinemet begins working after you take your first dose. Sinemet tablets are immediate-release IR , which means that the drug is released into your body all at once. Within an hour or less after taking your dose, you may start to notice that your symptoms of PD or parkinsonism are reduced.
Sinemet can interact with several other medications. It can also interact with certain supplements and certain foods. Different interactions can cause different effects. For instance, some interactions can interfere with how well a drug works. Other interactions can increase side effects or make them more severe. Below are lists of medications that can interact with Sinemet. Before taking Sinemet, talk with your doctor and pharmacist. Tell them about all prescription, over-the-counter, and other drugs you take.
Also tell them about any vitamins, herbs, and supplements you use. Sharing this information can help you avoid potential interactions. If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, ask your doctor or pharmacist. Sinemet may also decrease your blood pressure. Because both medications can have this effect, taking them together may increase your risk of orthostatic hypotension OH. Symptoms can include dizziness, blurry vision, or fainting.
This can help prevent OH. They may decrease your dosage of the blood pressure medication. They may be able tell you if there are any known interactions between the drugs. This is because taking these drugs together can cause severe side effects. These may include very high blood pressure , slowed breathing, and slowing down of your thoughts and movements.
However, taking these drugs together increases your risk for developing severe orthostatic hypotension OH. If you develop high blood pressure or dyskinesia, your doctor may switch either your Sinemet or your antidepressant to a different medication. Examples of drugs that decrease dopamine levels include:.
This allows your doctor to ensure that Sinemet is working to reduce your symptoms. And this means you may have an increased risk of side effects from Sinemet, such as feeling very tired. However, metoclopramide also decreases levels of dopamine.
Because of this, taking metoclopramide with Sinemet may cause Sinemet to not work like it should. They may be able to determine if this combination of drugs is safe for you. Iron supplements may decrease the amount of levodopa that your body absorbs. So taking your dose of Sinemet with a multivitamin or supplement that contains iron may cause your dose of Sinemet to be less effective than usual.
This means the drug may not reduce your symptoms as well as it normally would. This will help make sure that your body will absorb all of your supplement and medication.
However, below we discuss how eating foods that are high in protein can affect how Sinemet works in the body. When you take a dose of Sinemet, eating foods that are high in protein may cause your body to take longer than usual to absorb the drug. This delay means that your symptoms may not be reduced as quickly as they could be.
This means that Sinemet may not work as well to treat your symptoms. Talk with your doctor about the best times to take your Sinemet doses. Your doctor will be able to help you determine when to take the drug, based on your typical mealtimes. These side effects can become dangerous. Your doctor may be able to recommend a safe amount for you to drink. As with all medications, the cost of Sinemet can vary. To find current prices for Sinemet tablets in your area, check out GoodRx. The cost you find on GoodRx.
Before approving coverage for Sinemet, your insurance company may require you to get prior authorization. This means that your doctor and insurance company will need to communicate about your prescription before the insurance company will cover the drug. The insurance company will review the prior authorization request and decide if the drug will be covered.
If you need financial support to pay for Sinemet, help is available. An organization called NeedyMeds lists programs that may aid in lowering the cost of Sinemet. They may have a preference for one version or the other.
However, Stalevo also contains a third active drug called entacapone. Entacopone belongs to a different group of drugs, called catechol-O-methyl transferase COMT inhibitors. With off-time, your PD symptoms return.
This typically occurs right before you take your next scheduled dose of medication. Off-time may occur in people who are taking carbidopa and levodopa to treat PD.
In addition, Sinemet is also approved to treat certain kinds of parkinsonism. Sinemet is approved to treat parkinsonism that develops after:. Both Sinemet and Stalevo work to reduce symptoms of PD and parkinsonism by increasing the amount of dopamine in your brain. Both Sinemet and Stalevo come as tablets that are taken by mouth.
Sinemet is typically taken three or four times per day, or more often depending on your condition. Sinemet and Stalevo both contain carbidopa and levodopa. In addition, Stalevo also contains a third, different active drug called entacapone. These lists contain up to 10 of the most common mild side effects that can occur with each drug, or with both Sinemet and Stalevo when taken individually.
These lists contain examples of serious side effects that can occur with Sinemet, with Stalevo, or with both drugs when taken individually. The effectiveness of Sinemet and Stalevo in treating PD has been directly compared in a clinical study.
Levodopa and carbidopa are the active drugs in Sinemet. Another clinical study compared levodopa and carbidopa treatment with that of levodopa, entacapone, and carbidopa the three active drugs in Stalevo.
Carbidopa can also reduce nausea and vomiting, common levodopa side effects. As the underlying disease progresses and symptoms get worse, patients may need to increase their dose or take levodopa more frequently to experience the same reduction in symptoms. After taking levodopa for some time, typically a few years, patients may begin to experience a wearing off period , when symptoms return before it's time for their next dose of levodopa. This is also referred to as "off time.
Some patients notice the return of motor symptoms during "off" time — that's why the phenomenon is sometimes referred to as "motor fluctuations. Talk to your doctor if you've noticed that your symptoms, such as tremors, return before it's time for your next dose.
There are a few adjustments that can help, including increasing your dosage, changing medications, and adjusting protein intake. One reason patients sometimes delay levodopa treatment is because of its side effects — particularly dyskinesia , or uncontrolled movements that can look like fidgeting, writhing, wriggling, head bobbing, or body swaying.
Dyskinesia is a side effect of long-term use of levodopa, not a symptom itself. Jump over to the doctors only platform. Click Here. When too little dopamine is produced slowness of movement results. All bottles of Sinemet tablets contain tablets. None of the Sinemet tablets contain lactose, gluten, sucrose, tartrazine or any other azo dyes.
Dose advice: How to use Sinemet Before you take Sinemet When you must not take it Do not take Sinemet if: You have an allergy to Sinemet or any of the ingredients listed here; You have any unusual skin lumps or moles which have not been examined by your doctor, or if you have ever had skin cancer or melanoma; You have a type of glaucoma called narrow-angle glaucoma; Are being treated for depression with certain medicines called monoamine oxidase MAO inhibitors.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure whether you are taking one of these medicines; You are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It has been shown that one of the active ingredients of Sinemet passes into breast milk. Therefore, because of the potential harm to the baby, Sinemet should not be used during breastfeeding; The packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering; The expiry date on the pack has passed.
If you take this medicine after the expiry date has passed, it may not work. If you are not sure whether you should start taking Sinemet, talk to your doctor. Before you start to take it Tell your doctor if: You are pregnant or intend to become pregnant. These behaviours are called impulse control disorders.
Your doctor may need to review your treatments; You have previously been or are currently being treated with levodopa; You have any allergies to any other medicines or any other substances, such as foods, preservatives or dyes. If you have not told your doctor about any of the above, tell them before you take any Sinemet.
Taking other medicines Tell your doctor if you are taking any other medicines, including any that you buy without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop.
How to take Sinemet How much to take Take Sinemet only when prescribed by your doctor. Follow all directions given to you by your doctor carefully. They may differ from the information contained here. If you do not understand the instructions on the bottle, ask your doctor or pharmacist for help.
How to take it Swallow Sinemet, whole or as half tablets only if told by your doctor , with a glass of water. Do not stop taking Sinemet, or lower the dosage, without checking with your doctor.
If you forget to take it If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the dose you missed and take your next dose when you are meant to. If you are not sure whether to skip the dose, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. Do not take a double dose to make up for the dose that you missed. If you have trouble remembering to take your tablets, ask your pharmacist for some hints. If you take too much overdose Immediately telephone your doctor or Poisons Information Centre telephone 13 11 26 , or go to accident and emergency at your nearest hospital, if you think that you or anyone else may have taken too much Sinemet.
While you are using Sinemet Things you must do If you feel light-headed, dizzy or faint get up slowly when getting out of bed or standing up. If you become pregnant while taking Sinemet, tell your doctor. Things you must not do Do not give Sinemet to anyone else, even if they have the same condition as you. Things to be careful of Be careful when driving or operating machinery until you know how Sinemet affects you.
Be careful not to eat a diet high in protein. If you are diabetic, check with your doctor or pharmacist before using urine sugar tests.
Sinemet may cause false test results with some urine sugar tests. After using Sinemet Storage Keep your tablets in the bottle until it is time to take them. If you take the tablets out of the bottle they may not keep well. Do not leave it in the car or on window sills. Heat and dampness can damage some medicines. Keep it where children cannot reach it.
Disposal If your doctor tells you to stop taking Sinemet or the tablets have passed their expiry date, ask your pharmacist what to do with any that are left over. Side effects of Sinemet Tell your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are taking Sinemet.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist to answer any questions you may have. These are possible side effects of Sinemet. For the most part, these have been mild.
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