Azilect® | Azilect (Rasagiline) - 1mg (28 Tablets)

Uses
Azilect (Rasagiline) is used to treat the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. It is a monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B) inhibitor. It works by increasing the levels of certain chemicals in the brain. Azilect is sometimes used with another drug called levodopa.

Dosage and administration
Take this medication exactly as it was prescribed for you. Do not take the medication in larger amounts, or take it for longer than recommended by your physician. Azilect is usually taken once daily. Your physician may occasionally change your dose to make sure you get the best results from this medication.

Take this medication with a full glass of water. Azilect is only part of a complete program of treatment that also includes a diet plan created for you by your physician or nutrition counselor. While you are taking Azilect and for 2 weeks after you stop taking it, you must not eat foods that are high in tyramine, listed in the "What should I avoid while taking Azilect?" section below. Eating these foods while you are taking Azilect can raise your blood pressure to dangerous levels. This may cause life-threatening side effects such as 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). Call your physician at once if you have any of these symptoms.

Foods that you may eat include:

• fresh meat, poultry, or fish (including lunch meat, hot dogs, breakfast sausage, and cooked sliced ham);
• any vegetables except broad bean pods (fava beans);
• canned or bottled beer, white wine;
• processed cheese, mozzarella, ricotta, cottage cheese;
• pizza made with cheeses low in tyramine;
• soy milk, yogurt; or
• Brewer's or baker's yeast.

It is important to use Azilect regularly to get the most benefit. Get your prescription refilled before you run out of medicine completely.

If you need to have any type of surgery, tell the surgeon ahead of time that you are taking Azilect. You will need to stop using the medicine for at least 14 days before your surgery.

Side effects
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 using Azilect and call your physician at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

• increased blood pressure (sudden and severe headache, confusion, blurred vision, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, seizure);
• sudden numbness or weakness (especially on one side of the body), problems with speech or balance;
• unusual thoughts or behavior, confusion, extreme agitation;
• fever, sweating, muscle stiffness;
• feeling light-headed, fainting;
• blistering skin rash;
• twitching muscle movements; or
• hallucinations (seeing things that are not there).

Continue using Azilect and talk with your physician if you have any of these less serious side effects:

• joint pain;
• mild headache, dizziness, or depressed mood;
• hair loss;
• numbness or tingly feeling;
• dry mouth, loss of appetite;
• constipation, diarrhea, upset stomach, vomiting, weight loss;
• decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; or
• flu symptoms.

Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your physician about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome.

Precautions
Before taking Azilect, tell your physician if you are using any of the following drugs:

• ciprofloxacin (Cipro);
• theophylline (Theo-Dur, Respbid, Uniphyl); or
• antidepressants such as amitriptyline (Elavil), amoxapine (Ascendin), citalopram (Celexa), clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem), fluvoxamine (Luvox), imipramine (Tofranil), nortriptyline (Pamelor), paroxetine (Paxil), or sertraline (Zoloft).

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

There may be other drugs not listed that can affect Azilect. Tell your physician about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other physicians. Do not start using a new medication without telling your physician.

While you are taking Azilect and for 2 weeks after you stop taking it, 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, or red wine;
• aged cheeses, including blue, boursault, brick, brie, camembert, cheddar, emmenthaler, gruyere, parmesan, romano, roquefort, stilton, and swiss;
• sauerkraut;
• over-the-counter supplements or cough and cold medicines that contain tyramine;
• soy beans, soy sauce, tofu, miso soup, bean curd, fava beans; or
• yeast extracts (such as Marmite).

Eating tyramine while you are taking Azilect 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 you must avoid while you are taking Azilect. Continue avoiding these foods for a full 14 days after you stop taking the medication.

Azilect 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.

Do not take Azilect if you have liver disease or an adrenal gland tumor (also called pheochromocytoma). Do not take Azilect within 14 days before having surgery. Do not take Azilect if you have taken any of the following drugs within the past 14 days:

• meperidine (Demerol);
• tramadol (Ultram);
• propoxyphene (Darvon, Darvocet);
• methadone (Methadose, Dolophine);
• over-the-counter cough, cold, or allergy medicines containing dextromethorphan, pseudoephedrine, or phenylephrine;
• St. John's wort;
• mirtazapine (Remeron);
• cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril);
• amphetamines (such as ADHD medication), stimulants, diet pills; or
• other MAO inhibitors such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), tranylcypromine (Parnate), phenelzine (Nardil), or selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam).

Some people taking Azilect have developed skin cancer (melanoma). However, people with Parkinson's disease may have a higher risk than most people for developing melanoma. Talk to your physician about your specific risk and what skin symptoms to watch for. FDA pregnancy category C. This medication may be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell your physician if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment. It is not known whether Azilect passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your physician if you are breast-feeding a baby.

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