The information on this site is intended to supplement and enhance, not replace, the advice of a physician who is familiar with your medical history. Decisions about your health should always be made ONLY after detailed conversation with your doctor.
Generic drug name:
levodopa and carbidopa
(LEE voe doe pa and KAR bi doe pa)
Brand name(s):
DUOPA,
PARCOPA,
RYTARY,
SINEMET,
SINEMET CR
GENERIC:
available
FAMILY:
Drugs for Parkinson’s Disease
Find the drug label by
searching at DailyMed.
Pregnancy and Breast-feeding Warnings [top]
Pregnancy Warning
Levodopa and carbidopa caused fetal harm in animal studies, including malformations and death. Because of the potential for serious adverse effects to the fetus, this drug should not be used by pregnant women.
Breast-feeding Warning
No information is available from either human or animal studies. Since it is likely that this drug, like many others, is excreted in human milk, and because of the potential for adverse effects in nursing infants, you should not take this drug while nursing.
Facts About This Drug [top]
The combination of levodopa and carbidopa (SINEMET) is used to treat Parkinson’s disease, a condition that produces tremors (shaking), rigid muscles and disturbances in posture, walking, balance, speech, swallowing and muscle strength. This combination is the better choice for treating Parkinson’s disease than levodopa alone, because carbidopa prevents the breakdown of levodopa in the body.
The editors of The Medical Letter, a respected independent source of drug information, say that “the...
The combination of levodopa and carbidopa (SINEMET) is used to treat Parkinson’s disease, a condition that produces tremors (shaking), rigid muscles and disturbances in posture, walking, balance, speech, swallowing and muscle strength. This combination is the better choice for treating Parkinson’s disease than levodopa alone, because carbidopa prevents the breakdown of levodopa in the body.
The editors of The Medical Letter, a respected independent source of drug information, say that “the combination of these two drugs is the most effective treatment available for symptomatic relief of Parkinson’s disease.”[1]
Levodopa is effective for the majority of patients during the first two to five years of therapy. As the course of the disease progresses, the duration of benefit of a dose becomes shorter. This is known as the “wearing off” effect. Some patients develop sudden, unpredictable fluctuations between being able to move and not being able to move. This is referred to as the “on-off” effect.[1]
Maximizing effectiveness through diet
Patients who take levodopa alone should avoid foods and vitamins that contain vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), since this vitamin can destroy the drug’s effectiveness. To keep your intake of vitamin B6 down, you should avoid multiple vitamins, avocados, beans, peas, sweet potatoes, dry skim milk, oatmeal, pork, bacon, beef liver, tuna and cereals fortified with vitamin B6. If you take carbidopa and levodopa, you do not need to worry about this.
Avoid drug-induced disease
If you have symptoms of parkinsonism (tremor, rigid muscles, and disturbances in posture, walking, balance, speech, swallowing and muscle strength), there is a good chance that they are caused by a drug you are taking. As many as half of older adults with symptoms of parkinsonism may have developed them as adverse effects of a drug. (See the section that lists drugs that can cause symptoms of parkinsonism.)
If you take any of the drugs on this list, discuss the possibility of drug-induced parkinsonism with your doctor and ask to have your prescription changed or stopped.
Regulatory actions surrounding SINEMET
2009: The patient package insert for SINEMET has been updated to include information on reports of an intense urge to gamble, increased sexual urges and other intense urges (and the inability to control these urges) in patients using this drug. In some cases the urges were stopped when the drug was decreased or stopped. However it has not been proven that the drug caused these events.[2]
Before You Use This Drug [top]
Tell your doctor if you have or have had:
Tell your doctor about any other drugs you take, including aspirin, herbs, vitamins, and other nonprescription products.
When You Use This Drug [top]
How to Use This Drug [top]
Interactions with Other Drugs [top]
The following drugs, biologics (e.g., vaccines, therapeutic antibodies), or foods are listed in Evaluations of Drug Interactions 2003 as causing “highly clinically significant” or “clinically significant” interactions when used together with any of the drugs in this section. In some sections with multiple drugs, the interaction may have been reported for one but not all drugs in this section, but we include the interaction because the drugs in this section are similar to one another. We have also included potentially serious interactions listed in the drug’s FDA-approved professional package insert or in published medical journal articles. There may be other drugs, especially those in the families of drugs listed below, that also will react with this drug to cause severe adverse effects. Make sure to tell your doctor and pharmacist the drugs you are taking and tell them if you are taking any of these interacting drugs:
amitriptyline, chlorpromazine, DILANTIN, ELAVIL, HALDOL, haloperidol, INH, iron supplements, isoniazid, metoclopramide, NARDIL, phenelzine, phenytoin, pyridoxine (vitamin B6), REGLAN, RISPERDAL, risperidone, selegiline, THORAZINE.
Adverse Effects [top]
Call your doctor immediately if you experience:
Call your doctor if these symptoms continue:
Signs of overdose:
If you suspect an overdose, call this number to contact your poison control center: (800) 222-1222.
Periodic Tests[top]
Ask your doctor which of these tests should be done periodically while you are taking this drug:
last reviewed December 31, 2023
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