When does Opicapone work?

[michelagvolpe]

Hi!

For those who are taking Opicapone, how many days it needs for it to start to work? I started 2 nights ago at 11pm after 400 mg di Sinemet during the day, but it is like to eat a candy: nothing happens 🫥

[Saffron20]

Hi. My husband started with Opicapone about 6 months ago. He is 11 years into his PD journey and 68 years old. He found it made an enormous difference to him initially. Undisturbed sleep, easier to turn over, no freezing and much less rhs tremor. He did say he thought the effects had worn off a little but only that. At first it made him feel quite sick but he stuck it out and after a week saw improvements. He wouldn’t be without it now. The only thing I can suggest is that, as you know, all parkies are different and it’s always a case of trial and error. Maybe give it a bit longer yet to see if it makes a difference. Take care x

[MerckK in reply to Saffron20]

Recently I have started taking entacapone 200 mg with syndopa 1.25. It's not working at all. I am planning to drop this now

[johntPM]

Castrillo et al. writes:

"In the two RCT of opicapone 50 mg the combine reduction in OFF time was 0,96 h, placebo time discounted. After comparison with other COMTi, tolcapone and entacapone, the conversion factor for opicapone 50 mg should be “levodopa dose x 0,4 LED.""

LED is levodopa equivalent dose. This is an approximate way of estimating the effect of different cocktails of anti PD drugs, using levodopa (Sinemet, C/L) as a common denominator. So, 100 mg of levodopa with 50 mg opicapone taken that day, has approximately the same effect as 140 mg levodopa taken alone. Incidently, the equivalent of 200 mg entacapone and 100 mg levodopa is 133 mg levodopa. Note: entacapone is normally (Stalevo) taken with each levodopa dose, whereas opicapone is taken once per day. Note also that entacapone requires a much higher dose of 200 mg per levodopa dose, whereas opicapone has a dose of 50 mg per day.

Ref: mdsabstracts.org/abstract/l...

[Divii]

Agree with you; nothing happens. I hv taken together with levodopa

[Windermere1]

May I ask a question please. I take Madopar 25/100 6 times a day. I asked after researching Opicopone if I could be prescribed it to lengthen the on time Or short on the Off time. I was told it wouldn’t work for me because I wasn’t taking a high dose of levodopa. My question therefore Why won’t it work with my Madopar dose.

[michelagvolpe]

The med for PD are different for everybody. For me Opicapone doesn't not work, for other people it does. For me pramipexole works but has severe adverse effects, but other people can take it. It is 2 years I'm continuing to find and adjust my med dose, neurologists cannot know you as you can.