Kinson (Levodopa And Carbidopa)
Complete patient guide for uses, dosage, side effects, and safety information
Prescription RequiredQuick Facts
What Is Kinson Used For?
Kinson is prescribed to treat some of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, a condition of the nervous system that mainly affects body movement.
Primary Uses
Kinson helps treat the three main symptoms of Parkinson’s disease: shaking (tremor), muscle stiffness, and slow and unsteady movement. It is most helpful in improving slow movement and muscle stiffness. It can also help with difficulty swallowing, drooling, and unstable posture.
How It Works
Parkinson’s symptoms are caused by a lack of dopamine, a natural chemical produced by certain brain cells that sends messages to control muscle movement. Kinson contains levodopa (closely related to dopamine) which allows the body to make its own dopamine, and carbidopa which ensures enough levodopa gets to the brain where it’s needed.
Good to know: Kinson helps control symptoms of Parkinson’s disease but does not cure it, so it must be taken every day as prescribed.
How to Take Kinson
Your doctor will determine the right dose for you based on your condition severity, response to treatment, and other medications you may be taking.
Dosage Instructions
The usual starting dose is one 100/25 mg tablet taken three times a day. Your doctor will adjust this dose as needed. Swallow tablets whole or as half tablets with a glass of water. Take at about the same time each day for best results.
What If You Miss a Dose?
If it’s almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take your next dose when scheduled. Otherwise, take the missed dose as soon as you remember, then return to your normal schedule. If you’re unsure, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
Important: Never take a double dose to make up for a missed dose. Do not stop taking Kinson or lower the dose without checking with your doctor first.
Available Tablet Strengths
Side Effects
Like all medications, this medicine can cause side effects. Most are mild and temporary, but some require medical attention.
Common Side Effects
These side effects occur relatively frequently and usually don’t require emergency care:
- abnormal uncontrolled movements
- feeling sick (nausea), vomiting, loss of appetite
- dizziness, light-headedness when standing quickly
- dry mouth
- discoloration of urine, sweat and/or saliva
- urinary tract infection
- dream abnormalities
- sleepiness or sudden onset of sleep
- slow movements
- twitching or spasm of the eyelids
- hair loss
- diarrhea
Seek immediate medical attention if you experience:
- blood in the urine
- difficult or painful urination
- changes in mood such as depression
- forgetfulness
- signs of anemia (tiredness, headaches, shortness of breath, dizziness, looking pale)
- frequent or worrying infections (fever, severe chills, sore throat, mouth ulcers)
- bruising or bleeding more easily than normal, nose bleeds
- fainting
- skin rash, itchiness
- pinkish, itchy swellings on the skin (hives)
- numbness or tingling in hands or feet
- signs of melanoma (new skin spots or changes to existing spots)
- swelling of face, lips, mouth, throat or tongue causing difficulty swallowing or breathing
- bleeding from back passage, black sticky stools, bloody diarrhea
- vomiting blood or coffee-ground material
- chest pain
- fast or irregular heartbeats
- muscle stiffness with fever
- mental changes (feeling fearful, paranoid, hallucinations)
- shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, wheezing
Impulse Control Issues
You may experience an inability to resist harmful impulses including strong urges to gamble, increased sexual drive, uncontrollable excessive shopping or spending, binge/compulsive eating, taking medicines, and repetitive purposeless activities. Tell your doctor if you experience any of these behaviors.
Important Warnings
There are several important conditions and situations where Kinson should not be used or requires special caution.
Who Should Not Take Kinson
Do not use if you are allergic to levodopa, carbidopa, or any ingredients; have unusual skin lumps, moles not examined by a doctor, or history of skin cancer/melanoma; have narrow-angle glaucoma; are taking or have taken MAOIs within 14 days (like phenelzine or tranylcypromine); are breastfeeding; or if packaging is damaged or expired.
Medical Conditions to Discuss
Tell your doctor if you have depression, mental illness, heart disease, lung disease including asthma, kidney/liver/hormonal problems, convulsions, glaucoma, peptic ulcer disease, or if you notice developing urges to gamble, increased sexual urges, excessive eating/spending, or other impulse control issues.
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Discuss with your doctor if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. Do not use while breastfeeding as one of the active ingredients passes into breast milk and could potentially harm the baby.
Drug Interactions
Several medications can interfere with Kinson and affect how it works. Always tell your doctor about all medicines you’re taking.
- medicines for high blood pressure or heart disease
- medicines for depression
- medicines for mental illness or psychiatric problems
- medicines for involuntary movements
- medicines for muscle spasms
- phenytoin (Dilantin) for convulsions
- isoniazid for tuberculosis
- selegiline (Eldepryl, Selgene) for Parkinson’s disease
- iron supplements and multivitamins containing iron
Alcohol & Driving
Kinson can affect your ability to drive safely and may interact with alcohol to worsen certain side effects.
Alcohol
If you drink alcohol, dizziness or light-headedness may be worse. Tell your doctor if you drink alcohol.
Driving and Operating Machinery
Be careful when driving or operating machinery until you know how Kinson affects you. The medication may cause dizziness or light-headedness in some people. In very rare cases, it may cause excessive sleepiness and sudden onset of sleep. If you experience these effects, do not drive or operate machinery until they resolve.
Storage
Keep tablets in the bottle until it’s time to take them. Store below 30°C in a cool, dry place away from moisture, heat, or sunlight. Do not store in the bathroom, near a sink, in the car, or on window sills. Keep where children cannot reach it – a locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half meters above the ground is ideal.
Overdose Information
If you think you have taken too much Kinson, seek urgent medical attention immediately. Phone the Poisons Information Centre (13 11 26), contact your doctor, or go to the Emergency Department at your nearest hospital, even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning.
Frequently Asked Questions
The source doesn’t specify exact timing, but your doctor will adjust your dose based on your response to treatment. Some people may experience an ‘on-off’ effect after taking it for long periods where they suddenly lose the ability to move for minutes to hours.
Be careful not to eat a diet high in protein, as this may impair how much levodopa your body absorbs. Ask your doctor, pharmacist, or dietician to check your diet.
Do not stop taking Kinson suddenly as this may cause muscle stiffness, fever, and mental changes. Your doctor may want you to gradually reduce the amount before stopping completely.
If you drink alcohol, dizziness or light-headedness may be worse. Tell your doctor if you drink alcohol so they can advise you appropriately.
Tell your doctor immediately if you develop urges to gamble, increased sexual urges, excessive eating or spending, or other intense urges. These are called impulse control disorders and your doctor may need to review your treatments.
Swallow Kinson tablets whole or as half tablets with a glass of water. The source mentions half tablets are acceptable but doesn’t specify crushing.
If you notice times where Kinson doesn’t appear to be working as well as it did previously, tell your doctor. After long-term use, some people experience an ‘on-off’ effect, and your doctor may need to adjust your dose or prescribe a different medicine.
Important Disclaimer
This information is intended for general educational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider or pharmacist before starting, stopping, or changing any medication.
If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or emergency services immediately.