Important Safety Information
Zelapar® is a special once-daily
formulation of the drug selegiline that adds more active hours
for patients with Parkinson’s disease
(PD). Doctors may recommend adding Zelapar to levodopa/carbidopa
treatment when patients are experiencing a reduced response to
this therapy.
Do not take Zelapar if you are allergic to
selegiline or any of the other ingredients in Zelapar. Zelapar should not be taken with certain medications. Discuss any medicine
you are taking with your doctor. Zelapar should not be taken with
meperedine (DEMEROL®) or other opiods. Rare cases of high blood
pressure have been associated with taking conventional forms of
selegiline with foods containing tyramine. Zelapar may cause you
to have low blood pressure when you stand (this is more common
in older patients than in younger ones). If you are pregnant, you
must speak to your doctor about whether to take Zelapar. (Zelapar should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit to
the mother justifies the potential risk to the fetus.) Do not take
more than 2 tablets (2.5 mg) a day.
Zelapar was very well tolerated in clinical
trials. The most commonly reported side effects were dizziness,
nausea, pain, headache, trouble
sleeping, runny nose, involuntary movements, back pain, skin
disorders, mouth inflammation, and upper stomach pain. In addition,
5.2% of
patients discontinued Zelapar therapy due to side effects (vs.
1% with placebo).
You may need your levodopa dose reduced after
starting Zelapar therapy. Be sure to speak with your doctor if
you experience
any side effects.
Please see accompanying complete prescribing
information.
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