Have there been any studies carried out to compare Stalevo and Sinemet plus? I am aware that both medicines are considered basically the same except that Stalevo contains the extra ingredient Comtam which is supposed to make levodopa work better and last longer but have there been any studies to prove these claims. What are the long term effects of Stalevo compared with Sinemet plus. Is there any information available?

I saw this post yesterday and it kind of piqued my interest. Mostly to find out what Sinemet Plus is. From all the searching I did, I can only find out that Sinemet Plus is Carbidopa/levodopa. What is the Plus? Is there another drug combined with the Carbidopa/levodopa? I know that Stalevo is a combination of Sinemet (Carbidopa/levodopa) and Comtan.

GregD

The plus in sinemet plus appears to mean nothing! It just denotes the dosage, and i think initially had a better ratio of carbidopa, to prevent nausea. (Levodopa on it's own is not well tolerated, because of it's ability to cause nausea and sometimes dizziness too.) The CR, or controlled release version has an equally confusing name, Half Sinemet CR...... and while it technically looks the same in terms of dosage, the levodopa is less available than the sinemet plus, so maybe there is a weird logic in the way they are named.........

It is just carbidopa/levodopa.


Stalevo on the other hand is a combination of carbidopa/levodopa and entacapone as Greg says.

I don't take stalevo but do take entacapone as a separate pill, it makes sinemet more available to the brain. It has made a huge difference to me, but some people have difficulties with it.

My PD nurse reckons that the most pervasive side effect of entacapone is diahorrhea, and if that happens it is best to discontinue it.

Thanks lindy,
As I researched Sinemet Plus, I came to the same conclusion that it was only carbidopa/levodopa but was not really sure.

If that is the case, there would be no comparison between Stalevo and Sinemet Plus because of the added benefits of Comtan.

GregD