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Advice to Patients

• Importance of taking levodopa/carbidopa at regular intervals as scheduled by the clinician. Importance of not altering the prescribed dosage regimen or adding other antiparkinsonian drugs.
• Advise patient not to chew or crush extended-release tablets; however, tablets may be halved.
• For patients taking orally disintegrating tablets, advise to gently remove the tablet from the bottle with dry hands just before administering a dose and then placing the tablet on the tongue to dissolve and be swallowed with saliva.
• Importance of informing patients with phenylketonuria that the orally disintegrating tablets contain aspartame.
• Advise patient to notify clinician if abnormal involuntary movements appear or get worse; dosage adjustment may be needed.
• Advise patient of expected onset and duration of effect.
• Possibility that dark color (red, brown, black) may appear in saliva, urine, or sweat; garments may be discolored.
• Advise patient that a change in diet to food high in protein may delay absorption of levodopa and reduce systemic availability. Excess acidity may delay absorption.
• Importance of informing clinician of existing or contemplated concomitant therapy, including prescription and OTC drugs and dietary or herbal products.
• Importance of women informing clinician if they are or plan to become pregnant or plan to breast-feed.
• Importance of advising patients of other important precautionary information. (See Cautions.)

Preparations

Excipients in commercially available drug preparations may have clinically important effects in some individuals; consult specific product labeling for details.

Comparative Pricing

This pricing information is subject to change at the sole discretion of DS Pharmacy. This pricing information was updated 09/2009. For the most current and up-to-date pricing information, please visit www.drugstore.com. Actual costs to patients will vary depending on the use of specific retail or mail-order locations and health insurance copays.

AHFS Drug Information. © Copyright, 1959-2009, Selected Revisions May 2008. American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc., 7272 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, Maryland 20814.

† Use is not currently included in the labeling approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.