What is the difference between carbidopa, levodopa, and Rytary?
Rytary is a brand of medicine containing carbidopa and levodopa, which is used to treat Parkinson’s symptoms.
The difference between Rytary and other brands of carbidopa and levodopa is whether they are an immediate release, controlled release, extended release or a combination of fast or slow release. This affects how
- quickly or slowly they start to work
- how long they work for.
Rytary is an extended release capsule which starts working in about an hour and continues to work for 4 to 5 hours then the blood levels start to decrease. The capsules contain microbeads of carbidopa-levodopa that dissolve at different rates. One third of the beads dissolve fast and two thirds of the beads dissolve slowly. This means that when you take a Rytary capsule it starts to work quickly due to the fast dissolving beads and works for a longer time due to the slow dissolving beads.
Because Rytary contains a combined fast release and slow release preparation it is not interchangeable with other brands of carbidopa with levodopa.
For more information on Rytary click here: Rytary: 7 things you should know
References
- Rytary Professional Information: https://www.drugclasses.com/pro/rytary.html
- Advances in levodopa therapy for Parkinson disease: Review of RYTARY (carbidopa and levodopa) clinical efficacy and safety:
https://n.neurology.org/content/86/14_Supplement_1/S13 - Parkinson's disease: https://www.drugclasses.com/mcd/parkinson-s-disease
- Rytary Information: https://rytary.com/how-rytary-is-thought-to-work
Read next
How long does it take carbidopa levodopa to work?
The short-acting (immediate-release) formulation of carbidopa/levodopa takes effect within about 20 to 50 minutes. The long-acting (extended-release) formulation starts to work closer to the 50-minute timeframe. Continue reading
How often should carbidopa/levodopa be taken?
The immediate-release (short-acting) form of carbidopa/levodopa is usually taken 3 or 4 times each day, while the extended-release (long-acting) form is typically taken 2 to 4 times each day. Continue reading
Can carbidopa/levodopa cause high blood pressure?
Carbidopa/levodopa is unlikely to cause high blood pressure (hypertension). It was reported in less than 1% of patients in clinical trials and is not considered a common adverse reaction related to the drug. Continue reading
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