Entacapone Dosage

The recommended entacapone dosage for treating Parkinson's disease is one tablet taken with each dose of carbidopa-levodopa, up to eight tablets per day. If you take more than 800 mg of levodopa daily, your healthcare provider may need to decrease your carbidopa-levodopa dose, as entacapone increases carbidopa-levodopa blood levels. Make sure to take your entacapone dose at the same times each day.

 

Entacapone Dosage: An Introduction

The dose of entacapone (Comtan®) your healthcare provider recommends will vary, depending on a number of factors, including:
 
  • How often you take carbidopa-levodopa (Sinemet®, Sinemet CR®, or Parcopa®)
  • How you respond to entacapone (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.
 

Entacapone Dosage for Parkinson's Disease

The recommended dose of entacapone for Parkinson's disease treatment is one tablet (200 mg) taken with each dose of carbidopa-levodopa, up to eight tablets per day. Because entacapone increases the level of carbidopa-levodopa in the blood, your healthcare provider may need to decrease your carbidopa-levodopa dosage, especially if you take more than 800 mg of levodopa per day or if you have dyskinesia (uncontrollable muscle movements) due to levodopa.
 
Do not stop taking entacapone suddenly, as a serious group of side effects, known as neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) may occur. Symptoms of NMS include:
 
  • A high fever
  • Stiff muscles
  • Confusion
  • Irregular pulse or blood pressure
  • A fast heart rate (tachycardia)
  • Sweating
  • Irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias).
     
Once you are stable on an entacapone and carbidopa-levodopa dosage that is right for you, you may want to consider switching to Stalevo®, a combination product that contains all three medications (carbidopa, levodopa, and entacapone). In many situations, this can reduce the number of tablets you take per day and may reduce your costs.
 
(Entacapone Dosage Continued: Page 2)
Add this article to your Favorites     Email this article     Print
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;