How does co-beneldopa work?
Co-beneldopa works by increasing the amount of dopamine in your brain. Dopamine is an important chemical that sends nerve messages from your brain to your muscles.
With Parkinson's disease, you have less dopamine, so it's harder for your brain to send these messages. This can make you shake, as well as making your muscles stiff and your movements slow.
Co-beneldopa contains 2 medicines, levodopa and benserazide, that work together to help ease your symptoms.
Levodopa is changed into dopamine in your brain, allowing your nerves to send messages to your muscles and improve the way you move.
Benserazide stops levodopa from being changed to dopamine in the rest of your body. This also reduces the risk of side effects such as feeling sick and a fast heartbeat.
When will I feel better?
You'll usually notice an improvement after taking your first dose. However, it can take up to 3 weeks for co-beneldopa to have its full effect.
Talk to your specialist if your symptoms do not improve after taking co-beneldopa for 3 to 4 weeks.
Are there any long-term side effects?
Many people take co-beneldopa safely for many months or years.
However, it does not work as well over time and you may notice the effects wearing off. This is when the benefits wear off before the next dose, so there will be times when you're stiff or slow.
Speak to your doctor or specialist nurse if this happens. They may need to change your dose or make other treatment changes.
If you take co-beneldopa for several years, or at a high dose, you can get uncontrolled movements (called dyskinesias). These can include twitching, twisting or writhing movements. Speak to your doctor or specialist nurse as soon as possible if this happens. They may need to change your dose or make other treatment changes.
Do not make any changes to your medicines for Parkinson's disease without speaking to your doctor or specialist nurse.
What will happen if I stop taking it?
If you stop taking co-beneldopa, your symptoms will come back unless you're taking other medicines for Parkinson's disease.
You must not stop taking co-beneldopa suddenly. This can lead to serious withdrawal symptoms, such as stiff muscles, a high temperature and confusion.
If you need to stop taking this medicine, your doctor or specialist nurse will reduce the dose gradually. This will help prevent withdrawal symptoms.
How does co-beneldopa compare with other Parkinson's disease medicines?
Co-beneldopa contains levodopa and benserazide. These can also be combined with other Parkinson's disease medicines to treat your symptoms.
Carbidopa can be combined with levodopa to make co-careldopa (brand names Sinemet, Caramet, Apodespan and Lecado). This comes as tablets and works in the same way as co-beneldopa.
Entacapone or opicapone can be given with co-beneldopa. This can help if the effects of co-beneldopa are wearing off and it's no longer working for you on its own.
What else can help with symptoms of Parkinson's disease?
There's currently no cure, but there are treatments for Parkinson's disease to help relieve the symptoms and maintain your quality of life.
These treatments include:
- supportive therapies, such as physiotherapy or speech therapy
- medicines
- a type of surgery called deep brain stimulation
You may not need any treatment during the early stages of Parkinson's disease, as symptoms are usually mild. But you may need regular appointments with your specialist so your condition can be monitored.
A care plan will usually be agreed with your healthcare team and you and your family or carers. This will outline the treatments and help that you need now and what you're likely to need in the future. This will need to be reviewed regularly.
Regular exercise is particularly important, as it helps relieve muscle stiffness, improves mood and relieves stress.
Find out more about living with Parkinson's disease, including advice on staying active.
What will happen when co-beneldopa stops working?
Co-beneldopa becomes less effective over time. This is because it cannot stop you from losing the cells in your brain that make dopamine (the chemical that helps to control your body's movements).
Because of this, your symptoms may start to return. For instance, you may start to feel stiff or slow between taking your medicine.
Although increasing the dose is an option, it can increase the chance of involuntary movements (dyskinesias).
If this happens, your doctor or specialist nurse may change:
- the amount of medicine you take
- how often you take it
- the medicine you take and start you on another
Keeping a diary is also helpful to show when your medicine is wearing off or when you get dyskinesias.
Can I take it before surgery?
If you're going to have surgery, tell the doctor that you're taking co-beneldopa.
This is because you may need to stop taking it before having a general anaesthetic.
Whatever medicine you're taking for Parkinson's disease, it's important to discuss your treatment with the doctor before having any procedures.
Will it affect my contraception?
Co-beneldopa does not stop any type of contraception working, including the combined pill, the progestogen-only pill and emergency contraception.
But if co-beneldopa makes you sick (vomit), your contraceptive pills may not protect you from pregnancy. Look on the pill packet to find out what to do.
Find out more:
Can I drive or ride a bike?
Some people find co-beneldopa can make them feel dizzy or very sleepy, or makes them fall asleep suddenly, even during the day. If this happens to you, do not drive, cycle or use tools or machinery.
It's an offence to drive a car if your ability to drive safely is affected. It's your responsibility to decide if it's safe to drive. If you're in any doubt, do not drive.
Talk to your doctor or specialist nurse if you're unsure whether it's safe for you to drive while taking co-beneldopa. GOV.UK has more information on the law on drugs and driving.
If you've been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, you must tell the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and your car insurance company straight away.
Can I drink alcohol while taking co-beneldopa?
Drinking alcohol while taking co-beneldopa may make you feel sleepy, tired or dizzy.
It's best to stop drinking alcohol until you see how the medicine affects you.
Is there any food or drink I need to avoid?
Apart from being careful about alcohol, you can eat and drink normally while taking co-beneldopa.
However, it's best to avoid taking co-beneldopa at the same time as meals containing a lot of protein (such as meat, eggs, cheese, beans or lentils). For some people, protein can reduce the amount of co-beneldopa your body takes in, meaning that your medicine may not work properly.