zelapar (selegiline HCl) Orally Disintegrating Tablets
About Zelapar
For Healthcare Professionals

How To Take Zelapar

When should I take Zelapar® (selegiline HCl)?

  • Be sure to take Zelapar exactly as directed by your doctor or healthcare provider.
  • Once-daily Zelapar should be taken in the morning before breakfast and without liquid.
  • You should avoid ingesting food or liquids for 5 minutes before and after taking Zelapar.

How do I remove the Zelapar tablet?

Step 1: Tear open pouch (each pouch contains a foil pack of 10 Zelapar tablets)

Step 2: Peel foil backing for 1 tablet. Start at outside and peel towards center (Do NOT try to push tablet through foil backing. Instead, turn package over so tablet can be easily removed.)

Step 3: Place tablet immediately on tongue. It will dissolve in seconds.

What else should I know?

  • Your doctor will start you on a low dose (1.25 mg) of Zelapar. Your doctor may change the dose until you are taking the amount of medicine that is right for you.
  • If you miss your dose, do not double your next dose. Take only your usual dose.
  • Contact your doctor if you stop taking Zelapar for any reason.

» What is Zelapar?
» How Zelapar Works
» Benefits of Zelapar
» Is Zelapar Right for You?

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 once-daily Zelapar therapy. Be sure to speak with your doctor if you experience any side effects.

Please see accompanying complete prescribing information.

Demerol® is a registered trademark of the Sanofi-Aventis Group. Prozac® is a registered trademark of Eli Lilly and Company.
Valeant Pharmaceuticals