Like all medicines, Comtan can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. Usually side effects caused by Comtan are mild to moderate.
Some of the side effects are often caused by the increased effects of levodopa therapy and are most common at the start of the treatment. If you experience such effects at the start of treatment with Comtan you should contact your doctor who may decide to adjust your dosage of levodopa.
The frequencies are defined as:
Very common (affects more than 1 patient in 10)
Common (affects 1 to 10 patients in 100)
Uncommon (affects 1 to 10 patients in 1,000)
Rare (affects 1 to 10 patients in 10,000)
Very rare (affects less than 1 patient in 10,000)
Not known (frequency cannot be estimated from the available data)
Very common:
- Uncontrollable movements with difficulty in performing voluntary movements (dyskinesias); - feeling sick (nausea);
- harmless reddish-brown discoloration of urine.
Common:
- Excessive movements (hyperkinesias), worsening of symptoms of Parkinson?s disease, prolonged muscle cramps (dystonia);
- being sick (vomiting), diarrhoea, abdominal pain, constipation, dry mouth; - dizziness, tiredness, increased sweating, falling;
- hallucinations (seeing/hearing/feeling/smelling things that are not really there), sleeplessness, vivid dreams, and confusion;
- heart or artery disease events (e.g. chest pain).
Uncommon:
- Heart attack.
Rare Rashes abnormal results in liver function test.
Very rare:
- Agitation;
- decreased appetite, weight loss;
- hives.
Not known:
- Inflammation of the colon (colitis), inflammation of the liver (hepatitis) with yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes;
- discolouration of the skin, hair, beard and nails.
When Comtan is given at higher doses:
In doses of 1,400 to 2,000 mg per day, the following side effects are more common: - Uncontrollable movements;
- nausea;
- abdominal pain.
Other important side effects which may occur:
- Comtan taken with levodopa may rarely make you feel very drowsy during the day, and cause you to suddenly fall asleep;
Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome NMS is a rare severe reaction to medicines used to treat disorders of the nervous system. It is characterised by stiffness, muscle twitching, shaking, agitation, confusion, coma, high body temperature, increased heart rate and unstable blood pressure
a rare severe muscle disorder rhabdomyolysis which causes pain, tenderness and weakness of the muscles and may lead to kidney problems
behavioural changes may occur such as an urge to gamble pathological gambling or increased sexual desire and urges increased libido and hypersexuality.
If any of the side effects gets serious, or if you notice any side effects not listed in this leaflet, please tell your doctor.