Eldepryl (Generic)

Generic Eldepryl prevents the breakdown of a chemical in your brain called dopamine (DO pa meen). Low levels of this chemical are associated with Parkinson's disease.

Generic Eldepryl is used together with other medicines to treat symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

Take Generic Eldepryl 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.

Generic Eldepryl 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.

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Stop taking Generic Eldepryl and call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

• sudden and severe headache, confusion, blurred vision, problems with speech or balance, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, seizure (convulsions), and sudden numbness or weakness (especially on one side of the body);
• feeling light-headed, fainting;
• hallucinations;
• feeling restless, agitated, or irritable;
• twitching muscle movements; or
• painful or difficult urination.

Continue taking Generic Eldepryl and talk with your doctor if you have any of these less serious side effects:

• dizziness, weakness;
• sleep problems (insomnia);
• runny or stuffy nose;
• back pain;
• constipation; or
• mouth sores or ulcers, pain with swallowing (while using Zelapar).

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur.

You must NOT eat foods that are high in tyramine, including:

• air dried meats, aged or fermented meats, sausage or salami (including cacciatore and mortadella), pickled herring, and any spoiled or improperly stored beef, poultry, fish, or liver;
• beer from a tap, beer that has not been pasteurized;
• aged cheeses, including blue, boursault, brick, brie, camembert, cheddar, emmenthaler, gruyere, parmesan, romano, roquefort, stilton, and swiss;
• over-the-counter supplements or cough and cold medicines that contain tyramine;
• sauerkraut, soy beans, soy sauce, tofu, miso soup, bean curd, fava beans; or
• yeast extracts (such as Marmite).

Eating tyramine while you are taking Eldepryl can raise your blood pressure to dangerous levels which could cause life-threatening side effects.

You should become very familiar with the list of foods to avoid while you are taking Eldepryl.
Avoid drinking alcohol while taking Eldepryl. Eldepryl can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.

Before taking Generic Eldepryl, tell your doctor if you are using any of the following drugs:

• carbamazepine (Tegretol);
• diet pills or cold medicines that contain ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or phenylephrine;
• nafcillin (Unipen);
• phenobarbital (Luminal, Solfoton);
• rifampin (Rifadin, Rifater, Rifamate, Rimactane); or
• an antidepressant such as amitriptyline (Elavil), amoxapine (Ascendin), bupropion (Wellbutrin, Zyban), citalopram (Celexa), clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin), doxepin (Sinequan), duloxetine (Cymbalta), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac), fluvoxamine (Luvox), imipramine (Tofranil), nortriptyline (Pamelor), paroxetine (Paxil), protriptyline (Vivactil), sertraline (Zoloft), venlafaxine (Effexor), or trimipramine (Surmontil).

If you are using any of these drugs, you may not be able to take Eldepryl, or you may need dosage adjustments or special tests during treatment.

There are many other medicines that can cause serious medical problems if you take them together with Generic Eldepryl.