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Dear Mary and Sonia, =20 Tasmar is the brand name for the drug Tolcapone. I have pasted in a portion of an article written by Dr. Matt Kurth of the Barrow Neurological Institute that discusses this drug....Carole >Hello, Sonia -- > >I wondered what TASMAR could be! ************************************************************************ ******************** >Catechol-O-Methyl Transferase Inhibitors > > One new approach to treating Parkinson's disease involves prolonging = the >action of levodopa by inhibiting the enzyme = catechol-o-methyltransferase >(COMT) involved in the metabolism of levodopa and dopamine. Inhibition = of >this enzyme in the body decreases the concentration of a levodopa >metabolite, 3-O-methyldopa, which may have a role in inducing or = aggravating >levodopa response fluctuations. More importantly, blood levels of = levodopa >are maintained for a longer time and patients experience a smoother, = more >beneficial effect from each dose of levodopa. > >Tolcapone (Tasmar=D2, Hoffmann-LaRoche)=20 > > Tolcapone is the most potent COMT inhibitor currently in clinical >development. Studies in patients with Parkinson's disease in the = United >States and Europe are complete and have been submitted to the FDA. >Tolcapone prolongs the effects of levodopa thereby decreasing motor = response >fluctuations in patients and improving quality of life. Patients on >levodopa that do not experience motor fluctuations also benefited >significantly through improved quality of life and decreased symptoms. = > Tolcapone is given three times daily in doses from 100 mg to 200 mg in >addition to the patient's levodopa medication schedule. Peak effect of >tolcapone is reached in about 1 - 2 hours and maintained for the = duration of >the 6 hour dosing interval. Patients experience better control of = their >Parkinsonian symptoms while needing lower doses of levodopa. Side = effects >are few, but include occasional mild headache, nausea, loose stools, = change >in urine color, and in some patients a transient increase in = dyskinesia. >Tolcapone is absorbed by the small intestine and metabolized by the = liver. >Food delays the absorption of tolcapone somewhat, but this does not = appear >to be clinically significant. The ability of this compound to prolong = blood >and brain levels of levodopa while reducing the levels of potentially = toxic >metabolites should be an important development in the treatment of >Parkinson's disease. > ************************************************************************ >*************** >