Emsam

Emsam (selegiline transdermal system) is a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) indicated for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD).

Emsam should never be used on a child younger than 12 years old because dangerous side effects could occur. Use this medicine as ordered by your doctor. Take this medicine with food.

Do not stop using Emsam suddenly or you may have harmful side effects. It may take several weeks of using Emsam before your symptoms improve. After you stop using Emsam, you must wait at least 14 days before taking any medications.You must wait at least 5 weeks after stopping fluoxetine (Prozac) before you can start using Emsam. While you are using Emsam and for 14 days after you stop, you must not eat foods high in tyramine. Eating these foods while you are taking Emsam can raise your blood pressure to dangerous levels.

Do not use Emsam if you are allergic to selegiline, if you have an adrenal gland tumor (also called pheochromocytoma), or if you plan to have any type of surgery. Tell your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs, or if you have: heart disease, high or low blood pressure; seizures or epilepsy; or a personal or family history of bipolar disorder (manic depression) or suicide attempt.

The most common side effects are constipation, gas, loss of appetite; swelling, numbness or tingling, easy bruising, muscle pain; dry mouth, sore throat, cough; redness or itching where the patch is worn; or impotence, loss of interest in sex, or trouble having an orgasm. Stop using Emsam and call your doctor at once if you have ansudden 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; twitching muscle movements or a painful or difficult urination.

Do not use Emsam if you have taken any of the following drugs within the past 14 days: buspirone (BuSpar); carbamazepine (Tegretol) or oxcarbazepine (Trileptal); cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril); dextromethorphan (cough medicine); meperidine (Demerol), methadone (Dolophine, Methadose), propoxyphene (Darvon, Darvocet), or tramadol (Ultram, Ultracet); mirtazapine (Remeron); diet pills, ADHD medications, or cold medicines that contain dextromethorphan, ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or phenylephrine; St. John's wort; antidepressants such as amitriptyline (Elavil), amoxapine (Asendin), 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); or other MAO inhibitors such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), tranylcypromine (Parnate), phenelzine (Nardil), rasagiline (Azilect), or oral selegiline (Eldepryl).

If you missed a dose - take it as soon as you remember. If it is almost time to take the next pill, skip the missed dose and take the medication at your next regularly scheduled time. Do not take extra pills to make up the missed dose.

If you think you have overdosed the medicine seek emergency medical help at once.

Store Emsam at room temperature away from heat and moisture.

The information presented at the site has a general character. Note please this information cannot be used for self-treatment and self diagnosis. You should consult with your doctor or health care adviser regarding any specific instructions of your condition. The information is reliable, but we concede it could contain mistakes. We are not responsible for any direct, indirect, special or other damage caused by use of this information on the site and also for consequences of self-treatment.