 |
 |
On Tue, 11 Nov 1997, Linda Becker wrote: > Would someone explain to me what these Sinemet doses (eg. 25/100 and > 50/200) means? My mom says that Dad is taking 50/200 four times a day. > That sounds like a lot. Is it? > Thanks. > a "Newbie" > Hi Linda, Sinemet is the brand name for Carbidopa-Levodopa. It is the primary treatment for the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease. It is a combination drug (name based on the Latin without sin, vomiting emet) where the carbidopa allows the levodopa to go from the intestine to the blood brain barrier where the carbidopa stops and the levodopa is converted to dopamine. The size of the dosage is expressed as a fraction where the top number is carbidopa in milligrams and the bottom number is levodopa in milligrams. There are two types of sinemet: immediate release and controlled release. The latter always designated by the lettters CR. The Sinemet CR comes in dosasges of 25/100 and 50/200. Standard Sinemet comes in dosages of 10/100,25/100, and 25/250. According to one authority the range of daily dosage is 75-200 mg of carbidopa; and, 200-1,000 mg of levodopa. There is, however, a controversy among neurologists as to range of dosage, and as to what stage of PD the Sinemet should be used. But you probably are already aware of the controversy. -------------------- Sid Roberts 67/dx3 [log in to unmask] Youngstown, Ohio