Selegiline (oral): How Should I Take Selegiline

Content provided by Cerner Multum, Inc.

How should I take selegiline?

Take selegiline exactly as it was prescribed for you. Do not take the medication in larger amounts or for longer than recommended by your doctor. Larger doses will not have any greater effect, but serious side effects could result. Follow the directions on your prescription label.

While you are using selegiline and for 14 days after you stop, you must not eat foods listed in the "What should I avoid while using selegiline?" section of this leaflet. Eating these foods while you are using selegiline can raise your blood pressure to dangerous levels.

Foods that you MAY eat include:

• fresh meat, poultry, or fish (including lunch meat, hot dogs, breakfast sausage, and cooked sliced ham);
• any vegetables except broad bean pods (fava beans);
• processed cheese, mozzarella, ricotta, cottage cheese;
• pizza made with cheeses low in tyramine;
• soy milk, yogurt; or
• Brewer's or baker's yeast.

Selegiline capsules are usually taken twice a day, at breakfast and lunch. Follow your doctor's instructions.

The disintegrating tablet form of selegiline (Zelapar) should be taken once a day before breakfast and without any liquid.

To take selegiline orally disintegrating tablets (Zelapar):

• Keep the tablet in its blister pack until you are ready to take the medicine. Open the package and peel back the foil from the tablet blister. Do not push a tablet through the foil or you may damage the tablet.
• Using dry hands, remove the tablet and place it in your mouth. It will begin to dissolve right away.
• Do not swallow the tablet whole. Allow it to dissolve in your mouth without chewing. Swallow several times as the tablet dissolves.
• Do not drink or eat anything for at least 5 minutes after taking a Zelapar orally disintegrating tablet.

Parkinson's disease is often treated with a combination of different drugs. To best treat your condition, use all of your medications as directed by your doctor. When you start taking selegiline, your doses of the other medications may need to change. Do not change your doses or medication schedule without advice from your doctor.

Do not stop taking selegiline suddenly or you may have harmful side effects. For best results, keep taking the medicine as prescribed.

Store this medicine at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

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Last updated:	December 08, 2006