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Carbidopa/levodopa, also known as levocarb and co-careldopa, is the combination of the two medications carbidopa and levodopa. [6] It is primarily used to manage the symptoms of Parkinson's disease , but it does not slow down the disease or stop it from getting worse. [ 6 ]
L-DOPA is used medically under the name levodopa in the treatment of Parkinson's disease and certain other medical conditions. It is usually used in combination with a peripherally selective aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AAAD) inhibitor such as carbidopa or benserazide. These agents increase the strength and duration of levodopa.
Levodopa is the immediate precursor to dopamine. Entacapone is a selective, reversible catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitor that prevents the degradation of levodopa.
Carbidopa (Lodosyn) is a drug given to people with Parkinson's disease in order to inhibit peripheral metabolism of levodopa.This property is significant in that it allows a greater proportion of administered levodopa to cross the blood–brain barrier for central nervous system effect, instead of being peripherally metabolised into substances unable to cross said barrier.
Levodopa was first marketed in 1970 by Roche under the brand name Larodopa. [3] The neurologist Oliver Sacks describes this treatment in human patients with encephalitis lethargica in his 1973 book Awakenings, upon which the 1990 movie of the same name is based. Carbidopa was added to levodopa in 1974 and this improved its tolerability. [3]
Levodopa is a precursor to the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is administered to increase its levels in the central nervous system.However, most levodopa is decarboxylated to dopamine before it reaches the brain, and since dopamine is unable to cross the blood–brain barrier, this translates to little therapeutic gain with strong peripheral side effects.
Levodopa has also been related to a dopamine dysregulation syndrome, which is a compulsive overuse of the medication, and punding. [5] Controlled, slow-release versions of Sinemet and Madopar spread out the effect of the levodopa. Duodopa is a combination of levodopa and carbidopa. Slow-release levodopa preparations have not shown an increased ...
Entacapone together with levodopa and carbidopa allows levodopa to have a longer effect in the brain and reduces Parkinson's disease signs and symptoms for a greater length of time than levodopa and carbidopa therapy alone. [2] Entacapone is a selective and reversible inhibitor of the enzyme catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT). [2]