Important Safety Information
Zelapar® is a special 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. |