Warnings


What may interact with Carbidopa, Levodopa?

Do not take this medicine with any of the following medications:

-MAOIs like Marplan, Nardil, and Parnate
-reserpine
-tetrabenazine

This medicine may also interact with the following medications:

-alcohol
-droperidol
-entacapone
-iron supplements or multivitamins with iron
-isoniazid, INH
-linezolid
-medicines for depression, anxiety, or psychotic disturbances
-medicines for high blood pressure
-medicines for sleep
-metoclopramide
-papaverine
-procarbazine
-tedizolid
-rasagiline
-selegiline
-tolcapone

What should I tell my health care provider before I take Carbidopa, Levodopa?

They need to know if you have any of these conditions:

-depression or other mental illness
-diabetes
-glaucoma
-heart disease, including history of a heart attack
-history of irregular heartbeat
-kidney disease
-liver disease
-lung or breathing disease, like asthma
-narcolepsy
-sleep apnea
-stomach or intestine problems
-an unusual or allergic reaction to levodopa, carbidopa, other medicines, foods, dyes, or preservatives
-pregnant or trying to get pregnant
-breast-feeding

What should I watch for while using Carbidopa, Levodopa?

Visit your health care professional for regular checks on your progress. Tell your health care professional if your symptoms do not start to get better or if they get worse. Do not stop taking except on your health care professional''s advice. You may develop a severe reaction. Your health care professional will tell you how much medicine to take.

You may get drowsy or dizzy. Do not drive, use machinery, or do anything that needs mental alertness until you know how this drug affects you. Do not stand or sit up quickly, especially if you are an older patient. This reduces the risk of dizzy or fainting spells. Alcohol may interfere with the effect of this medicine. Avoid alcoholic drinks.

When taking this medicine, you may fall asleep without notice. You may be doing activities like driving a car, talking, or eating. You may not feel drowsy before it happens. Contact your health care provider right away if this happens to you.

There have been reports of increased sexual urges or other strong urges such as gambling while taking this medicine. If you experience any of these while taking this medicine, you should report this to your health care provider as soon as possible.

You may experience a "wearing off" effect prior to the time for your next dose of this medicine. You may also experience an "on-off" effect where the medicine apparently stops working for anything from a minute to several hours, then suddenly starts working again. Tell your doctor or health care professional if any of these symptoms happen to you. Your dose may need adjustment.

A high protein diet can slow or prevent absorption of this medicine. Avoid high protein foods near the time of taking this medicine to help to prevent these problems. Take this medicine at least 30 minutes before eating or one hour after meals. You may want to eat higher protein foods later in the day or in small amounts. Discuss your diet with your doctor or health care professional or nutritionist.

If you have diabetes, you may get a false-positive result for sugar in your urine. Check with your doctor or health care professional.

This medicine may discolor the urine or sweat, making it look darker or red in color. This is of no cause for concern. However, this may stain clothing or fabrics.

This medicine may cause a decrease in vitamin B6. You should make sure that you get enough vitamin B6 while you are taking this medicine. Discuss the foods you eat and the vitamins you take with your health care professional.

Where should I keep my medicine?

Keep out of the reach of children.

Store below 30 degrees C (86 degrees F). Keep container tightly closed. Throw away any unused medicine after the expiration date.