The great race to the brain. Timing your meds is very important!

The greatest thing about Levodopa is that it gets along very well with other meds. The worst thing about Levodopa is that it does not play well with protein. These two compete with one another in a vigorous race through the bloodstream to get to the brain…and Levodopa always loses. Once food and pills go into the digestive tract, protein (amino acids) are often the first in line to be absorbed which means less medication gets through.

So they need to be separated in order for levodopa to be effective.

Levodopa needs a solid 30-minute headstart to win the race (take meds 30 minutes before meals involving protein) or wait to take meds 2 hours after a meal when the lineup in the digestive tract has dispersed).

Many people take multiple levodopa pills throughout the day to get some symptom relief (I take 3). So this protein interaction can become a little complicated but it is really important to make a plan for optimal absorption.

I have a timer set on my phone to remind me to take my pills and this is set for 30 minutes prior to mealtime.
For more info click the link here: Levodopa and Protein Medication Absorption