Selegiline [L-deprenyl]

Selegiline pharmacotherapy is approved as an adjunct to levodopa pharmacotherapy for the symptomatic management of Parkinson’s disease. Selegiline, particularly at low dosages, is a relatively selective inhibitor of monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B), which is found predominantly in the brain. At recommended dosages, selegiline has little effect upon MAO-A, which is found predominantly in the intestines. Selegiline irreversibly inhibits MAO-B within the nigrostriatal pathways in the CNS. Caution patients who are receiving selegiline pharmacotherapy against exceeding the recommended dosage. Selegiline pharmacotherapy commonly has been associated with insomnia and nausea. Clinical data concerning selegiline overdosage are limited. Signs and symptoms of selegiline overdosage may include psychomotor agitation, seizures, and severe hypotension. Selegiline overdosage should be treated as a medical emergency requiring symptomatic medical support of body systems with attention to increasing selegiline elimination. Active metabolites of selegiline include amphetamine, desmethylselegiline, and methamphetamine.