Stalevo Tablets

What’s the dose?

Your doctor will tell you exactly how many tablets of Stalevo to take each day.

Could it interact with other tablets?

Please tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking or have recently taken any other medicines, including medicines obtained without a prescription and herbal medicines.
Do not take Stalevo if you are taking certain medicines for treating depression (combinations of selective MAO-A and MAO-B inhibitors, or non-selective MAO inhibitors).

Stalevo may increase the effects and side effects of certain medicines. These include:

• medicines used to treat depression such as moclobemide, amitryptiline, desipramine, maprotiline, venlafaxine and paroxetine
• rimiterole and isoprenaline, used to treat respiratory diseases
• adrenaline, used for severe allergic reactions
• noradrenaline, dopamine and dobutamine, used to treat heart diseases and low blood pressure
• alpha-methyldopa, used to treat high blood pressure
• apomorphine, which is used to treat Parkinson’s disease.

The effects of Stalevo may be weakened by certain medicines. These include:

• dopamine antagonists used to treat mental disorders, nausea and vomiting
• phenytoin, used to prevent convulsions
• papaverine used to relax the muscles.

Stalevo may make it harder for you to digest iron. Therefore, do not take Stalevo and iron supplements at the same time. After taking one of them, wait at least 2 to 3 hours before taking the other.

What are the possible risks or side-effects?

Like all medicines, Stalevo can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. If you experience any of these side effects, talk to your doctor as soon as possible. Many of the side effects can be relieved by adjusting the dose.

Very common

• uncontrolled movements (dyskinesias), worsening of Parkinson’s symptoms
• feeling sick (nausea) harmless reddish-brown discoloration of urine.

Common

• Light-headedness or fainting due to low blood pressure
• Dizziness, drowsiness, tingling or numbness
• Vomiting, abdominal pain, dry mouth, constipation, diarrhoea
• Inability to sleep, hallucinations, confusion, nightmares, feeling agitated
• Mental changes- including paranoid and psychotic symptoms, depression (possibly with thoughts of suicide) and problems with memory or thinking
• Tiredness, chest pain
• More frequent falling

Can I drink alcohol while taking it?

• There are no known interactions between alcohol and Stalevo.
• Always ask your pharmacist/doctor however as other tablets you are taking may have a bearing on whether you can drink alcohol or not.

What if I’m pregnant/breastfeeding?

• If you are pregnant or think you may be pregnant, consult your doctor before taking Stalevo.
• You should not breast-feed during treatment with Stalevo.

If you have any more questions please ask your Pharmacist.

Remember to keep all medicines out of reach of children
Please Note: We have made every effort to ensure that the content of this information sheet is correct at time of publish, but remember that information about drugs may change. This sheet does not list all the uses and side-effects associated with this drug. For full details please see the drug information leaflet which comes with your medicine. Your doctor will assess your medical circumstances and draw your attention to any information or side-effects which may be relevant in your particular case.

References:

http://www.drugs.com/cdi/stalevo.html

http://www.rxlist.com/stalevo-drug.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbidopa/levodopa/entacapone

https://www.pharma.us.novartis.com/product/pi/pdf/stalevo.pdf

http://www.pharma.us.novartis.com/info/products/brands/Stalevo.jsp?usertrack.filter_applied=true&NovaId=2935377031735069708