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Dear John, I have been taking 200mg of Comtess/Comtan with every dose of Sinemet [like Madopar}for several years as a participant in the entacapone trials in the USA. Comtess/Comtan seems to have done me no harm. The side effects seem minimal. [ I.P.O. does not necessarily mean Initial Public Offering... It can be simply I P Orange.] I have been told there are no reports of liver damage as with the other COMT inhibitor, Tasmar. OTHER REMARKS ARE INSERTED INTO YOUR TEXT.+++++ ---------- From: John I Quist <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] Subject: COMTess Date: Friday, January 29, 1999 4:04 AM Hello dear list-friends! I'm back from spending Christmas in Germany, and writing reports and tests in school. (I actually went to a chocolate museum in Cologne! Great fun, and very tasty...) ++++Comtess is approximately tasteless. The size of a 200mg tablet can make swallowing difficult at times, particularly when "off" at the end of previous medication dose. If the tablet is allowed to remain in the mouth for a couple of minutes, it can be lightly crushed by the molars and made easier to swallow. I would prefer the German chocolates.++++ Anyway, I'm back with a question: are there any others here using Comtess / Comtan? Yesterday my neuro put me on Comtess, since the 75mg of Madopar I take every 3 hours wears off after appx. 2.5 hours, and 100 mg gives me an annoying hyperkinesia. I think it already gives me a bit of extra time++++I found that the effect I got in the first few tablets was about as good as it was going to get. I found that I could reduce my Sinemet [Madopar} dosage slightly [cut down on dyskinesia] and still have a longer "on" time.++++ It now takes just under 3 hours for 75 mg Madopar and 200mg Comtess to wear off. The painful part is waiting for the next dose to kick in, but I hope that will get better when the Comtess gains effect over the coming weeks.++++Getting and Parkinson's medication dosage and timing optimal is not easy and takes time, and once you have it down pat, your disease progresses and the dosage needs to be readjusted. ++++. - What are YOUR experiences? Did it take long to get a good effect?? ++++Comtess/Comtan does not appear to penetrate the blood/brain barrier. This may explain why Tasmar seemed to be getting better results. The ability of Tasmar to cross barriers may be a reason for its unfortunate side effect of severe liver damage to some people. I use Comtess [entacapone], but think I might be just as well off using more Sinemet CR++++ Will Johnnston A.P.D.A. DelMarVA Chapter Pres. 4049 Oakland School Road Salisbury MD 21804 USA 410-543-0110 With cramping toes, your John (30 now / 28 dx / 18 onset)