[The combined treatment of Parkinson's disease with L-dopa plus decarboxylase inhibitors (carbidopa, benserazide) (author's transl)]

Abstract

An open cross-over study of 20 patients with Parkinson's disease performed with two drugs containing L-dopa and a peripheral aromatic amino acid decarboxylase inhibitor (benserazide, carbidopa) confirmed the conclusions reached in other clinical trials that this combined treatment of Parkinson's disease is the most effective form of drug therapy available at present. With both drugs, Madopar or Sinemet, an optimum therapeutic result was obtained with relatively small doses of L-dopa (the reduction in L-dopa dosage amounting to about 80%). A loss of efficacy with both drugs, which has observed during long-term treatment of patients with Parkinson's disease, could be avoided by switching the patients from Sinemet to Madopar and vice versa. Determination of L-dopa in the plasma demonstrated that with either drug similar plasma levels of L-dopa were achieved during clinically effective treatment.