On this page
Selegiline Hydrochloride
Overview
Active ingredients
Source: NDC Directory| Ingredient | Strength | RxCUI | Monograph |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selegiline Hydrochloride | 5 mg/1 | 859186 | View |
Forms, strengths and routes
Source: NDC DirectoryPharmacologic classes are listed in the class section below.
Pharmacologic class
Source: NDC Directory| Class | Type | Browse |
|---|---|---|
| Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor [EPC] | EPC | 8 members — no class page |
| Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors [MoA] | MoA | 8 members — no class page |
| Monoamine Oxidase Type B Inhibitor [EPC] | EPC | 4 members — no class page |
| Monoamine Oxidase-B Inhibitors [MoA] | MoA | 4 members — no class page |
Regulatory status
Source: Drugs@FDANDC Directory| Product | Trade name | Form | Strength | Ingredient | Status | TE | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 074871-001 | SELEGILINE HYDROCHLORIDE | TABLET | SELEGILINE HYDROCHLORIDE | Prescription | AB | RS |
Therapeutic equivalence
Source: Orange BookWhat this rating means: Therapeutically equivalent — bioequivalence demonstrated by in vivo or in vitro testing
Codes beginning with “A” indicate products the FDA considers therapeutically equivalent. Codes beginning with “B” indicate bioequivalence has not been established. See methodology.
Approval history
Source: Drugs@FDA| Type | No. | Action | Status | Date | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supplement | 9 | Labeling | Approved | December 1, 2009 | — |
| Supplement | 4 | Manufacturing (CMC) | Approved | August 18, 1999 | — |
| Supplement | 2 | Labeling | Approved | June 16, 1999 | — |
| Supplement | 1 | Manufacturing (CMC) | Approved | June 16, 1999 | — |
| Supplement | 3 | Labeling | Approved | October 20, 1998 | — |
| Original application | 1 | Approved | June 6, 1997 | — |
Prescribing information
Source: openFDA Drug LabelingReproduced verbatim from the Structured Product Labeling submitted to the FDA (effective 20251124). This is the manufacturer's labelling text, not a summary and not advice.
Indications and Usage
openFDA Drug LabelingINDICATIONS AND USAGE Selegiline Hydrochloride Tablets, USP are indicated as an adjunct in the management of Parkinsonian patients being treated with levodopa/carbidopa who exhibit deterioration in the quality of their response to this therapy. There is no evidence from controlled studies that selegiline has any beneficial effect in the absence of concurrent levodopa therapy. Evidence supporting this claim was obtained in randomized controlled clinical investigations that compared the effects of added selegiline or placebo in patients receiving levodopa/carbidopa. Selegiline was significantly superior to placebo on all three principal outcome measures employed: change from baseline in daily levodopa/carbidopa dose, the amount of ‘off’ time and patient self-rating of treatment success. Beneficial effects were also observed on other measures of treatment success (e.g., measures of reduced end of dose akinesia, decreased tremor and sialorrhea, improved speech and dressing ability and improved overall disability as assessed by walking and comparison to previous state).
Dosage and Administration
openFDA Drug LabelingDOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION Selegiline Hydrochloride Tablets, USP are intended for administration to Parkinsonian patients receiving levodopa/carbidopa therapy who demonstrate a deteriorating response to this treatment. The recommended regimen for the administration of Selegiline Hydrochloride Tablets, USP is 10 mg per day administered as divided doses of 5 mg each taken at breakfast and lunch. There is no evidence that additional benefit will be obtained from the administration of higher doses. Moreover, higher doses should ordinarily be avoided because of the increased risk of side effects. After two to three days of selegiline treatment, an attempt may be made to reduce the dose of levodopa/carbidopa. A reduction of 10 to 30% was achieved with the typical participant in the domestic placebo controlled trials who was assigned to selegiline treatment. Further reductions of levodopa/carbidopa may be possible during continued selegiline therapy.
Contraindications
openFDA Drug LabelingCONTRAINDICATIONS Selegiline is contraindicated in patients with a known hypersensitivity to this drug. Selegiline hydrochloride is contraindicated for use with meperidine. This contraindication is often extended to other opioids. (See Drug Interactions . )
Warnings
openFDA Drug LabelingWARNINGS Selegiline should not be used at daily doses exceeding those recommended (10 mg/day) because of the risks associated with non-selective inhibition of MAO. (See CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY . ) The selectivity of selegiline for MAO B may not be absolute even at the recommended daily dose of 10 mg a day. Rare cases of hypertensive reactions associated with ingestion of tyramine-containing foods have been reported in patients taking the recommended daily dose of selegiline. The selectivity is further diminished with increasing daily doses. The precise dose at which selegiline becomes a non-selective inhibitor of all MAO is unknown, but may be in the range of 30 to 40 mg a day. Severe CNS toxicity associated with hyperpyrexia and death have been reported with the combination of tricyclic antidepressants and non-selective MAOIs (Phenelzine, Tranylcypromine). A similar reaction has been reported for a patient on amitriptyline and selegiline. Another patient receiving protriptyline and selegiline developed tremors, agitation, and restlessness followed by unresponsiveness and death two weeks after selegiline was added. Related adverse events including hypertension, syncope, asystole, diaphoresis, seizures, changes in behavioral and mental status, and muscular rigidity have also been reported in some patients receiving selegiline and various tricyclic antidepressants. Serious, sometimes fatal, reactions with signs and symptoms that may include hyperthermia, rigidity, myoclonus, autonomic instability with rapid fluctuations of the vital signs, and mental status changes that include extreme agitation progressing to delirium and coma have been reported with patients receiving a combination of fluoxetine hydrochloride and non-selective MAOIs. Similar signs have been reported in some patients on the combination of selegiline (10 mg a day) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors including fluoxetine, sertraline and paroxetine. Since the mechanisms of these reactions are not fully understood, it seems prudent, in general, to avoid this combination of selegiline and tricyclic antidepressants as well as selegiline and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. At least 14 days should elapse between discontinuation of selegiline and initiation of treatment with a tricyclic antidepressant or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Because of the long half lives of fluoxetine and its active metabolite, at least five weeks (perhaps longer, especially if fluoxetine has been prescribed chronically and/or at higher doses) should elapse between discontinuation of fluoxetine and initiation of treatment with selegiline.
Adverse Reactions
openFDA Drug LabelingADVERSE REACTIONS Introduction The number of patients who received selegiline in prospectively monitored pre-marketing studies is limited. While other sources of information about the use of selegiline are available (e.g., literature reports, foreign post-marketing reports, etc.) they do not provide the kind of information necessary to estimate the incidence of adverse events. Thus, overall incidence figures for adverse reactions associated with the use of selegiline cannot be provided. Many of the adverse reactions seen have also been reported as symptoms of dopamine excess. Moreover, the importance and severity of various reactions reported often cannot be ascertained. One index of relative importance, however, is whether or not a reaction caused treatment discontinuation. In prospective pre-marketing studies, the following events led, in decreasing order of frequency, to discontinuation of treatment with selegiline: nausea, hallucinations, confusion, depression, loss of balance, insomnia, orthostatic hypotension, increased akinetic involuntary movements, agitation, arrhythmia, bradykinesia, chorea, delusions, hypertension, new or increased angina pectoris and syncope. Events reported only once as a cause of discontinuation are ankle edema, anxiety, burning lips/mouth, constipation, drowsiness/lethargy, dystonia, excess perspiration, increased freezing, gastrointestinal bleeding, hair loss, increased tremor, nervousness, weakness and weight loss. Experience with selegiline hydrochloride obtained in parallel, placebo controlled, randomized studies provides only a limited basis for estimates of adverse reaction rates. The following reactions that occurred with greater frequency among the 49 patients assigned to selegiline as compared to the 50 patients assigned to placebo in the only parallel, placebo controlled trial performed in patients with Parkinson’s disease are shown in the following Table. None of these adverse reactions led to a discontinuation of treatment. INCIDENCE OF TREATMENT-EMERGENT ADVERSE EXPERIENCES IN THE PLACEBO-CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL Adverse Event Number of Patients Reporting Events selegiline hydrochloride N = 49 placebo N = 50 Nausea 10 3 Dizziness/Light-headed/Fainting 7 1 Abdominal Pain 4 2 Confusion 3 0 Hallucinations 3 1 Dry mouth 3 1 Vivid Dreams 2 0 Dyskinesias 2 5 Headache 2 1 The following events were reported once in either or both groups: Ache, generalized 1 0 Anxiety/Tension 1 1 Anemia 0 1 Diarrhea 1 0 Hair Loss 0 1 Insomnia 1 1 Lethargy 1 0 Leg pain 1 0 Low back pain 1 0 Malaise 0 1 Palpitations 1 0 Urinary Retention 1 0 Weight Loss 1 0 In all prospectively monitored clinical investigations, enrolling approximately 920 patients, the following adverse events, classified by body system, were reported. Central Nervous System Motor/Coordination/Extrapyramidal increased tremor, chorea, loss of balance, restlessness, blepharospasm, increased bradykinesia, facial grimace, falling down, heavy leg, muscle twitch*, myoclonic jerks*, stiff neck, tardive dyskinesia, dystonic symptoms, dyskinesia, involuntary movements, freezing, festination, increased apraxia, muscle cramps. Mental Status/Behavioral/Psychiatric hallucinations, dizziness, confusion, anxiety, depression, drowsiness, behavior/mood change, dreams/nightmares, tiredness, delusions, disorientation, lightheadedness, impaired memory*, increased energy*, transient high*, hollow feeling, lethargy/malaise, apathy, overstimulation, vertigo, personality change, sleep disturbance, restlessness, weakness, transient irritability. Pain/Altered Sensation headache, back pain, leg pain, tinnitus, migraine, supraorbital pain, throat burning, generalized ache, chills, numbness of toes/fingers, taste disturbance. Autonomic Nervous System dry mouth, blurred vision, sexual dysfunction. Cardiovascular orthostatic hypotension, hypertension, arrhythmia, palpitations, new or increased angina pectoris, hypotension, tachycardia, peripheral edema, sinus bradycardia, …
Drug Interactions
openFDA Drug LabelingDrug Interactions The occurrence of stupor, muscular rigidity, severe agitation, and elevated temperature has been reported in some patients receiving the combination of selegiline and meperidine. Symptoms usually resolve over days when the combination is discontinued. This is typical of the interaction of meperidine and MAOIs. Other serious reactions (including severe agitation, hallucinations, and death) have been reported in patients receiving this combination (see CONTRAINDICATIONS ). Severe toxicity has also been reported in patients receiving the combination of tricyclic antidepressants and selegiline and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and selegiline. (See WARNINGS for details.) One case of hypertensive crisis has been reported in a patient taking the recommended doses of selegiline and a sympathomimetic medication (ephedrine).
Description
openFDA Drug LabelingDESCRIPTION Selegiline Hydrochloride, USP is a levorotatory acetylenic derivative of phenethylamine. It is commonly referred to in the clinical and pharmacological literature as l-deprenyl. The chemical name is: (R)-(-)-N,2-dimethyl-N-2-propynylphenethylamine hydrochloride. It is a white to near white crystalline powder, freely soluble in water, chloroform, and methanol. The molecular formula is C 13 H 17 N•HCl; and the molecular weight is 223.75. The structural formula is as follows: Each tablet, for oral administration, contains Selegiline Hydrochloride, USP 5 mg and the following inactive ingredients: corn starch, lactose monohydrate, magnesium stearate, povidone, and talc. image description
Overdosage
openFDA Drug LabelingOVERDOSAGE Selegiline No specific information is available about clinically significant overdoses with selegiline hydrochloride. However, experience gained during selegiline's development reveals that some individuals exposed to doses of 600 mg of d,l-selegiline suffered severe hypotension and psychomotor agitation. Since the selective inhibition of MAO-B by selegiline hydrochloride is achieved only at doses in the range recommended for the treatment of Parkinson's disease (e.g., 10 mg/day), overdoses are likely to cause significant inhibition of both MAO-A and MAO-B. Consequently, the signs and symptoms of overdose may resemble those observed with marketed non-selective MAO inhibitors (e.g., tranylcypromine, isocarboxazide, and phenelzine). Overdose with Non-Selective MAO Inhibition NOTE : This section is provided for reference; it does not describe events that have actually been observed with selegiline in overdose. Characteristically, signs and symptoms of non-selective MAOI overdose may not appear immediately. Delays of up to 12 hours between ingestion of drug and the appearance of signs may occur. Importantly, the peak intensity of the syndrome may not be reached for upwards of a day following the overdose. Death has been reported following overdosage. Therefore, immediate hospitalization, with continuous patient observation and monitoring for a period of at least two days following the ingestion of such drugs in overdose, is strongly recommended. The clinical picture of MAOI overdose varies considerably; its severity may be a function of the amount of drug consumed. The central nervous and cardiovascular systems are prominently involved. Signs and symptoms of overdosage may include, alone or in combination, any of the following: drowsiness, dizziness, faintness, irritability, hyperactivity, agitation, severe headache, hallucinations, trismus, opisthotonus, convulsions, and coma; rapid and irregular pulse, hypertension, hypotension and vascular collapse; precordial pain, respiratory depression and failure, hyperpyrexia, diaphoresis, and cool, clammy skin. Treatment Suggestions for Overdose NOTE: Because there is no recorded experience with selegiline overdose, the following suggestions are offered based upon the assumption that selegiline overdose may be modeled by non-selective MAOI poisoning. In any case, up-to-date information about the treatment of overdose can often be obtained from a certified Regional Poison Control Center. Telephone numbers of certified Poison Control Centers are listed in the Physicians’ Desk Reference (PDR). Treatment of overdose with non-selective MAOIs is symptomatic and supportive. Induction of emesis or gastric lavage with instillation of charcoal slurry may be helpful in early poisoning, provided the airway has been protected against aspiration. Signs and symptoms of central nervous system stimulation, including convulsions, should be treated with diazepam, given slowly intravenously. Phenothiazine derivatives and central nervous system stimulants should be avoided. Hypotension and vascular collapse should be treated with intravenous fluids and, if necessary, blood pressure titration with an intravenous infusion of a dilute pressor agent. It should be noted that adrenergic agents may produce a markedly increased pressor response. Respiration should be supported by appropriate measures, including management of the airway, use of supplemental oxygen, and mechanical ventilatory assistance, as required. Body temperature should be monitored closely. Intensive management of hyperpyrexia may be required. Maintenance of fluid and electrolyte balance is essential.
How Supplied / Storage and Handling
openFDA Drug LabelingHOW SUPPLIED Selegiline Hydrochloride Tablets USP 5 mg are available for oral administration as white or slightly mottled, round, unscored tablets imprinted with on one side and “3438” on the other side. They are supplied as bottles of 60 (NDC 60429-176-60). Storage Store at 20° to 25°C (68° to 77°F) [see USP Controlled Room Temperature]. Dispense in a tight, light-resistant container [see USP] with a child-resistant closure as required. APOTEX INC. SELEGILINE HYDROCHLORIDE TABLETS USP 5 mg Manufactured by: Manufactured for: Apotex Inc. Apotex Corp. Toronto, Ontario Weston, Florida Canada M9L 1T9 33326 Revised: June 2009 Rev. 1 Marketed by: GSMS, Inc. Camarillo, CA 93012 USA tablet-symbol
Adverse event reports
Source: openFDA FAERSAttributed to this product's most-reported active ingredient: SELEGILINE HYDROCHLORIDE. Combination products with more than six active ingredients are not attributed, because a report count summed across a long ingredient list measures the list, not the medicine.
Packaging and NDCs
Source: NDC Directory| Package NDC | Product NDC | Labeler | Description | Marketing start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50090-2918-0 | 50090-2918 | A-S Medication Solutions | 4 TABLET in 1 BOTTLE (50090-2918-0) | March 14, 2017 |
| 73141-006-02 | 73141-006 | A2A Integrated Pharmaceuticals | 60 TABLET in 1 BOTTLE (73141-006-02) | March 15, 2024 |
| 60505-3438-3 | 60505-3438 | Apotex Corp. | 60 TABLET in 1 BOTTLE (60505-3438-3) | July 6, 1997 |
| 60505-3438-8 | 60505-3438 | Apotex Corp. | 500 TABLET in 1 BOTTLE (60505-3438-8) | July 6, 1997 |
| 62135-694-60 | 62135-694 | Chartwell RX, LLC | 60 TABLET in 1 BOTTLE (62135-694-60) | May 6, 2024 |
| 60429-176-60 | 60429-176 | Golden State Medical Supply, Inc. | 60 TABLET in 1 BOTTLE (60429-176-60) | April 2, 2013 |
| 72319-006-02 | 72319-006 | i3 Pharmaceuticals, LLC | 60 TABLET in 1 BOTTLE (72319-006-02) | December 15, 2021 |
| 50090-2918 | 50090-2918 | A-S Medication Solutions | — | July 6, 1997 |
| 73141-006 | 73141-006 | A2A Integrated Pharmaceuticals | — | March 15, 2024 |
| 60505-3438 | 60505-3438 | Apotex Corp. | — | July 6, 1997 |
| 62135-694 | 62135-694 | Chartwell RX, LLC | — | August 2, 1996 |
| 60429-176 | 60429-176 | Golden State Medical Supply, Inc. | — | June 6, 1997 |
| 72319-006 | 72319-006 | i3 Pharmaceuticals, LLC | — | December 15, 2021 |
Sources for this page
| Dataset | Agency | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| NDC Directory | FDA | Identity, ingredients, strengths, forms, routes, labelers, packages |
| Drugs@FDA | FDA | Application, sponsor, submissions, review documents, marketing status |
| Orange Book | FDA | Therapeutic equivalence codes, reference drug flags, patents, exclusivity |
| Drug Labeling | FDA / NLM | Prescribing information reproduced above |
| FAERS | FDA | Adverse event report counts |
Generated September 25, 2026 · 12 sections on this page.