Parcopa Dosage

Because there is no one Parcopa dosage that will work for everyone, your healthcare provider will consider several factors when determining the best dose for your situation. He or she will consider things such as how you respond to Parcopa, other medications you are taking, and other medical conditions you have. Your Parcopa dosage is usually low to begin with and then slowly increased.

 

Parcopa Dosage: An Introduction

The dose of Parcopa® (orally disintegrating carbidopa-levodopa) that your healthcare provider recommends will vary, depending on a number of factors, including:
 
  • How you respond to Parcopa (especially if you develop bothersome side effects)
  • Other medications you are taking
  • Other medical conditions you may have.
     
As is always the case, do not adjust your dose unless your healthcare provider specifically instructs you to do so.
 

Parcopa Dosage for Parkinson's Disease

Parcopa comes in three different strengths that are designed to allow for some flexibility in dosing the individual components of Parcopa. These strengths include:
 
  • Parcopa 10-100 mg (10 mg of carbidopa and 100 mg of levodopa)
  • Parcopa 25-100 mg (25 mg of carbidopa and 100 mg of levodopa)
  • Parcopa 25-250 mg (25 mg of carbidopa and 250 mg of levodopa).
     
There is no one particular Parcopa dosage that will work for all people. Instead, the dose must be individualized. Typically, it is recommended to start with a dose of Parcopa 25-100 mg (25 mg of carbidopa and 100 mg of levodopa) three times daily. Your healthcare provider will probably recommend gradually increasing the dose (usually by one tablet every day or every other day) until a dose of eight Parcopa 25-100 mg tablets are taken per day (usually as two tablets four times a day). However, you may require more or less of Parcopa, and you may need more or less of the individual components of Parcopa.
 
Most people need at least 70 mg to 100 mg of carbidopa a day in order to avoid severe nausea and vomiting due to the levodopa component of Parcopa. Doses that provide less than 70 mg of carbidopa per day are very likely to cause severe nausea and vomiting.
 
Do not suddenly stop taking Parcopa, as it may cause a serious group of side effects known as neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS). Symptoms of NMS include:
 
  • High fever
  • Stiff muscles
  • Confusion
  • Irregular pulse or blood pressure
  • Fast heart rate (tachycardia)
  • Sweating
  • Irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias).
     
(Parcopa Dosage Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;