APA Dictionary of Psychology

n. a U.S. trade name for a drug combination of levodopa, carbidopa, and entacapone (a catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitor); it is used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, the symptoms of which are due to lack of striatal dopamine. As occurs with the Parkinson’s drug Sinemet, carbidopa in this combination enables levodopa to be administered in lower doses to achieve an effective concentration in the brain, where it is converted into dopamine. Stalevo’s additional ingredient, entacapone, increases and prolongs levodopa plasma levels, allowing increased dopaminergic stimulation.