Prolopa dosing

[rebtar]

I live in the US and use carbidopa/levodopa and am familiar with it's dosing protocols. My mother in law lives in El Salvador and takes Prolopa which is levodopa and benserazide (instead of carbidopa). I understand that Prolopa and Madopar are essentially the same.

We just visited my mother in law and I was surprised that she is on Prolopa 250/50 twice a day. I know that standard dosing of C/L calls for three times a day, and more recently doctors are also using four times a day, as this may work better to achieve a steady state.

I'm wondering if the dosing difference is due to a difference between carbidopa and benzeraside, or if it's a difference in what is customarily prescribed in different countries?

[park_bear]

Prolopa HBS is a sustained-release version. Perhaps she is taking that.

[condor39]

AS far as I know Prolopa and Sinemet are equivalent. In Canada they come in capsules of 25/100 and 50/200. My movements disorder specialist said he preferred the smaller as the 50.200 had adsorption problems. There is no sustained release version in Canada.

I am taking it four times a day, starting with a small dose and working up - at 2 caps of 25/100 , four times a day I got a dramatic improvement which has lasted one year, so far. and counting.

I am 80% back to normal, and take no supplements, no vitamins, regular diet.

I hope this helps

[rebtar in reply to condor39]

Yes, thank you, very helpful. My MIL is in El Salvador, I think her neurologist doesn’t know what he’s doing.

[Hikoi]

I don’t think you can say her neuro doesnt know what he is doing just because he prescribes meds twice a day instead of three times. Some people only need meds twice a day some six times a day and as park bear asks is this a long acting med? It sounds like it probably is.

[rebtar]

No, not the long acting version. Her symptoms seem fairly mild but not well controlled. I’m withholding judgement, I said I was surprised by her protocol. I suggested her daughter observe her symptoms over the day to see if four or five hours after a dose, they become noticeably worse. Interesting that Prolopa packaging instructions suggest starting with twice a day. That is on the lower dose packaging, I don’t know if the 200 pill has the same instruction.