Drug interactions between entacapone and Sinemet
| Results for the following 2 drugs: |
|---|
| entacapone |
| Sinemet (carbidopa/levodopa) |
Interactions between your selected drugs
levodopa ↔ entacapone
Applies to:Sinemet (carbidopa/levodopa) and entacapone
When COMT inhibitors are administered together with levodopa/carbidopa, they may increase the relative bioavailability (AUC) of levodopa. This is due to a decrease in levodopa clearance resulting in a prolongation of the terminal elimination half-life of levodopa (from approximately 2 hours to 3.5 hours).
In the presence of the decarboxylase inhibitor carbidopa, catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is the major metabolizing enzyme for levodopa. In clinical trials of COMT inhibitors (administered concomitantly with levodopa), patients required a decrease in their daily levodopa dose if their daily dose of levodopa was greater than 600 mg for tolcapone or 800 mg for entacapone or if the patients had moderate or severe dyskinesias before beginning treatment. Although COMT inhibitors are intended for use with along with levodopa/carbidopa, the clinician should be aware that the dose of levodopa may need to be decreased when they are added to the patients drug regimen. This is especially true if the patient is experiencing dyskinesias induced by levodopa. Use with caution with severe dyskinesias or dystonia.
See also...
Drug Interaction Classification
The classifications below are a guideline only. The relevance of a particular drug interaction to a specific patient is difficult to determine using this tool alone given the large number of variables that may apply.
| Major | Highly clinically significant. Avoid combinations; the risk of the interaction outweighs the benefit. |
| Moderate | Moderately clinically significant. Usually avoid combinations; use it only under special circumstances. |
| Minor | Minimally clinically significant. Minimize risk; assess risk and consider an alternative drug, take steps to circumvent the interaction risk and/or institute a monitoring plan. |
Do not stop taking any medications without consulting your healthcare provider.
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