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Margie Swindler wrote: >If Requip is designed to inhibit the chemical (COMT) that breaks down Levodopa, then in order for it to work, there must first be some Levodopa available, right? Requip is NOT a COMT inhibitor. It is an agonist that works by mimicking the effects of dopamine. In early stage Parkinsons, it reportedly can delay the need for levodopa, which after long term use has some not so pleasant side effects. However, as my neurologist pointed out that we don't know the long term side effects of Requip... >Isn't Levodopa a chemical that is broken down to become dopamine in the brain? >If that's the case, would Requip work at all if a patient didn't first take >Sinemet to supply the Levodopa? If that's true, then it would seem to me that >Requip won't do any good if prescribed alone. Tasmar is a COMT inhibitor, and as far as I know, is used in conjunction with levodopa therapy. I'm not a drug "guru," but hope this helps a little. Judith Richards [log in to unmask]