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Just happen to see this on the Internet. Nancy B cg for don 64/15 NEW YORK, Aug 17 (Reuters) -- The drug tolcapone can enhance the efficacy of levodopa-carbidopa, a combination of medications commonly prescribed for Parkinson`s disease, according to a study in the August issue of the Archives of Neurology. Tolcapone can reduce the number of ``on/off`` fluctuations -- with ``off`` periods the times when the medications temporarily stop working -- and enable patients to cut back on the amount of levodopa they take, report a team of researchers. A degenerative neurological disorder, Parkinson`s disease features symptoms such as tremor, muscle rigidity, a shuffling gait, coordination problems, and a loss of facial expression. Levodopa, carbidopa, and other drugs can help alleviate the symptoms. But they also cause side effects, including severe nausea and dizziness. Moreover, they can lose their effectiveness over time. Patients who take levodopa-carbidopa may experience ``on/off`` fluctuations. Some small-scale trials had shown that tolcapone could limit ``off`` time and increase ``on`` time among these patients, note the research team, led by Dr. Charles H. Adler of the Mayo Clinic Scottsdale, in Arizona. Conducting a larger trial, Adler and colleagues gave tolcapone to 143 Parkinson`s patients who were taking levodopa-carbidopa and experiencing on/off fluctuations. Of these 143 patients, 69 received 100 milligram (mg) doses of tolcapone, and 74 received 200 mg doses -- 3 times a day for 6 weeks. A ``control group`` of another 72 Parkinson patients who had on/off fluctuations were given dummy pills or ``placebo.`` Within 2 weeks, those taking tolcapone had significantly less ``off`` time -- and more ``on`` time -- than those taking the placebo. On average, patients taking the drug had more than 2 extra hours of ``on`` time daily, Adler and colleagues report. These patients were also able to reduce the dose of levodopa they were taking by more than 20%. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----