Selegiline
About
Selegiline belongs to a class of antiparkinson drugs called monoamine oxidase-B inhibitors used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease is a central nervous system disorder that affects movement. It causes stiffness, shaking, difficulty in walking, coordination and balance.
Selegiline contains Selegiline that works by inhibiting the action of an enzyme called monoamine oxidase-B that naturally breaks down dopamine. Thereby, increases the level of dopamine and restores its level in the brain thereby improving the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
Take Selegiline with or without food as advised by your doctor and swallow whole with a glass of water. Do not crush, chew or break it. Your doctor will advise you how often you take Selegiline based on your medical condition. Some people may experience a sore mouth, swollen gums, loss of balance, difficulty in controlling movements, headache, dizziness, nausea, sleep disorders, mouth ulcers or constipation. Most of these side effects of Selegiline do not require medical attention and gradually resolve over time. However, if the side effects persist or worsen, please consult your doctor.
If you are allergic to Selegiline or any other medicines, please tell your doctor. Avoid taking Selegiline if you are pregnant or breastfeeding and consult a doctor. Selegiline is not recommended for children. If you are about to undergo any surgery, please inform your doctor that you are taking Selegiline as it may interact with certain medicines used as a part of general anaesthesia. Avoid taking Selegiline if you have stomach or duodenal ulcers, angina (chest pain), high blood pressure, major heart or blood vessel problems, hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid gland), fast or irregular heartbeat, narrow-angle glaucoma, pheochromocytoma (tumour of the adrenal gland), prostatic adenoma (tumour of prostate gland), schizophrenia, advanced dementia (loss of memory and other thinking abilities). If you have sleep problems, anxiety, a history of stomach ulcers, kidney or liver problems, any unusual urges like excessive gambling or increased sexual behaviour, inform your doctor before taking Selegiline.
Uses of Selegiline
Medicinal Benefits
Selegiline is an antiparkinson agent that is used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. In Parkinson’s patients, the nerve cells that produce dopamine (a chemical messenger that is important for movement control) begin to die. So, there is a decrease in dopamine levels. Selegiline works by inhibiting the action of the monoamine oxidase-B enzyme that naturally breaks down dopamine. Thereby, increases dopamine in the brain and restores its levels. Thus, it improves the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Selegiline can be used alone or in combination with other medicines such as levodopa to reduce uncontrolled movements.
Directions for Use
Storage
Side Effects of Selegiline
- Sore mouth
- Swollen gums
- Loss of balance
- Difficulty in controlling movements
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Sleep disorders
- Mouth ulcers
- Constipation
In-Depth Precautions and Warning
Drug Warnings
If you are known to be allergic to Selegiline or any other medicines, please tell your doctor. Avoid taking Selegiline if you are pregnant or breastfeeding and consult a doctor. Selegiline is not recommended for children. If you are about to undergo any surgery, please inform your doctor that you are taking Selegiline as it may interact with certain medicines used as a part of general anaesthesia. Avoid taking Selegiline if you have stomach or duodenal ulcers, angina (chest pain), high blood pressure, major heart or blood vessel problems, hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid gland), fast or irregular heartbeat, narrow-angle glaucoma, pheochromocytoma (tumour of the adrenal gland), prostatic adenoma (tumour of the prostate gland), schizophrenia, advanced dementia (loss of memory and other thinking abilities). If you have sleep problems, anxiety, a history of stomach ulcers, kidney or liver problems, unusual urges like excessive gambling or increased sexual behaviour, inform your doctor before taking Selegiline.
Drug Interactions
Drug-Drug Interaction: Selegiline may have interaction with other antiparkinson’s drugs (rasagiline, levodopa, dopamine, amantadine), antidepressants (escitalopram, citalopram, fluvoxamine, fluoxetine, sertraline, venlafaxine, paroxetine, protriptyline, amitriptyline, duloxetine), opioid pain killers (pethidine, tramadol, codeine, meperidine), antibiotic (linezolid), medicines for migraine (naratriptan, sumatriptan, zolmitriptan, rizatriptan), medicines used to treat heart problems (digitalis), drugs used to treat ovarian cancer (altretamine), antianxiety drug (clonazepam), pain reliever (ibuprofen).
Drug-Food Interaction: Avoid intake of tyramine-rich foods such as broad beans, Bovril, mature cheese, fermented soya bean products, or yeast extracts with Selegiline as it may cause severe high blood pressure leading to stroke, heart attack, or chest pain. Selegiline may interact with proteins in the food. Also, avoid alcohol intake as it may increase side effects such as drowsiness, dizziness, or difficulty concentrating.
Drug-Disease Interaction: Avoid taking Selegiline if you have stomach or duodenal ulcers, angina (chest pain), high blood pressure, major heart or blood vessel problems, hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid gland), fast or irregular heartbeat, narrow-angle glaucoma, pheochromocytoma (tumor of the adrenal gland), prostatic adenoma (tumor of the prostate gland), schizophrenia, advanced dementia (loss of memory and other thinking abilities). If you have sleep problems, anxiety, a history of stomach ulcers, or kidney or liver problems, inform your doctor before taking Selegiline.
Drug-Drug Interactions Checker List:
Safety Advice
Alcohol
unsafeAvoid consumption of alcohol with Selegiline as it may increase the risk of adverse effects such as drowsiness, dizziness or difficulty in concentrating.
Pregnancy
unsafeSelegiline is a Category C pregnancy drug and is usually not recommended for pregnant women. Please consult a doctor if you are pregnant as Selegiline is given to pregnant women only if the doctor thinks benefits outweigh risks.
Breast Feeding
unsafeSelegiline is not recommended for breastfeeding mothers. However, please consult a doctor before taking Selegiline if you are a breastfeeding mother.
Driving
unsafeSelegiline may cause drowsiness or dizziness and make you fall asleep suddenly. It is an offence to drive if Selegiline affects you. Therefore, avoid driving if you feel drowsy or dizzy after taking Selegiline.
Liver
cautionTake Selegiline with caution, especially if you have a history of Liver diseases/conditions. The dose may be adjusted by your doctor as required.
Kidney
cautionTake Selegiline with caution, especially if you have a history of Kidney diseases/conditions. The dose may be adjusted by your doctor as required.
Children
unsafeSelegiline is not recommended for children as the safety and efficacy were not established.
Habit Forming
Diet & Lifestyle Advise
- Avoid intake of tyramine rich foods such as broad beans, Bovril, mature cheese, fermented soya bean products or yeast extracts.
- Eat more fibre rich foods to ease constipation.
- Drink plenty of water to avoid headaches due to dehydration.
- Avoid consumption of alcohol as it may increase drowsiness.
Special Advise
- Selegiline may cause abnormalities in certain laboratory test results such as liver function tests and blood tests. Therefore, inform your doctor or lab technician that you are on treatment with Selegiline before undergoing any tests.
- Selegiline should not be used at daily doses of more than 2.5 mg/day due to the risks associated with a change in the amount of chemical messenger in the brain called a neurotransmitter.
- Selegiline is contraindicated for use with medicine containing meperidine, as serious reactions have been experienced in patients taking both medications together.
Patients Concern
Disease/Condition Glossary
Parkinson’s disease: It is a disorder of the central nervous system that affects movement due to nerve cell damage in the brain which decreases the levels of dopamine and leads to symptoms such as stiffness, tremor in one hand, shaking, difficulty in walking, coordination, and balance. This condition can last for many years or life-long. Treatment with medicines along with physiotherapy may help to control the symptoms and provide a quality life for as long as possible.
FAQs
Selegiline contains Selegiline, an antiparkinson agent that works by inhibiting the action of monoamine oxidase-B enzyme that naturally breaks down dopamine. Thereby, increases dopamine in the brain and restores its levels. Thus, improves the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
You recommend avoiding tyramine rich foods such as broad beans, Bovril, mature cheese, fermented soya bean products or yeast extracts as it may cause severe high blood pressure.
Selegiline may cause low blood pressure in some patients, especially while standing up suddenly from a sitting or lying down position and cause symptoms such as dizziness, sweating, nausea or fainting. Hence, to avoid orthostatic hypotension, you are recommended to get up slowly after lying down or sitting.
Selegiline is not recommended for glaucoma (damage of optic nerve that is essential for good vision) patients as it may increase the fluid pressure inside the eye. However, regular monitoring of pressure in the eyes is recommended while on treatment with Selegiline.
You are recommended to avoid taking Selegiline with escitalopram as it may lead to a severe condition called ‘serotonin syndrome’ and cause symptoms such as blurred vision, stomach cramps, diarrhoea, hallucination, extreme changes in blood pressure, confusion, excessive sweating, increased heart rate, fever, shivering or shaking, tremor, incoordination, muscle spasm or stiffness. However, please consult a doctor before taking Selegiline with other medicines.
No, Selegiline does not cure Parkinson’s disease. Selegiline is only used to reduce the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
Selegiline should not be used with pain killers like meperidine, tramadol, methadone, propoxyphene and cough syrups containing dextromethorphan. Using together can cause severe side effects and can worsen your present condition.
