Sinemet + / Co-careldopa

Hi I'm new to the forum, Mum has parkinsons (about 14 years) It has been well managed with drugs untill about 20 months ago when she started hallucinating, since then medication has been altered, new ones tried or taken away etc.

One of the recent changes has been going from

Sinemet plus 25/100mg (2 tablets - 4 times a day)

To 

Co-careldopa 25/250mg (1 tablet - 4 times a day)

Mum seems to be struggling much more with mobility on the new tablets, and wants to go back on the sinemet plus, has any one else experienced similar problems.

Thanks in advance Andy

Andy

Sinemet are Co-careldopa  are basically the same drug the only difference is that Sinemet is the branded ones where Co-Careldopa are the generic form of Sinemet but both will contain levodopa and carbidopa , some  people do tend to find that they do not do so well on the generic form as they do on the branded ones you could try getting your mums prescription changed to Sinemet rather than co-careldopa

Hi Andy,

Leaving aside for the moment the change from branded to generic drug, they have decreased her Carbidopa (from 200mgr to 100mgr a day) and increased her levodopa (from 800mg to 1000mg a day). If she is still hallucinating on this then the increase in levodopa could be the cause.

Maybe a thinner spread of levodopa over the daytime , like giving her the levodopa in smaller doses , but more frequently . like 5/6-8 times a day a proportionate dose of levodopa could help?

 Maybe you could ask if any adjustment /review of her medicaiton is possible 

 

After a visit too the gp this morning

he is upping the dose from sinemet too sinemet plus 25/100 x 4 daily.

the lady in the pharmacy said we cant get hold of the branded sinemet +, so it appears i'm on the generic form. i think the gp is expecting better things from the change too sinemet + 

But i'll have too keep in mind what shelly has said.

Another appointment in 2 weeks.

i was on & still on sinemet +   for along time ,one time the chemist gave me co-caradopa and i was very  bad dyskinasa on them looked them up on net, very intresting when they enter your body they disburse into your system unevely also the amounts are different like kate said !  sea angler go carefull on them or go to a chemist that can get them ! no problem getting them here in weymouth,also get your gp to write on prescription sinemet + only !  

 

Thanks for that Gus i'll keep a carefull eye on it.

the pharmacy is in the same building as the GP surgury, they usually have too order the pills in too pick up 2 day's later, but as i got too the counter they already had the pill's waiting for me, what ever the GP writes down in paper also goes through too the pharmacy electronically.

ok ,but ask gp to change it if unhappy with them.remember  its your body not theirs xx best of luck

My husband has had Parky for 24 years, diagnosed at 39. Now has had to come off all meds apart from co-careldopa due to long term use which caused awful hallucinations. A wonderful new consultant has spread his co-Caledonia from 2x5 times a day to 1x10 times a day, huge difference in him. Still quite difficult mobility wise but mentally much better.