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Parkinson's Disease Clinical Trials »
You may have heard about clinical trials from your doctor, read or heard advertisements in the newspaper or on the radio, or found out about trials in your area through a support group or association. Before you decide to participate in a trial, you should be aware of the potential benefits and risks. This guide provides a brief overview of the clinical trial process.
A clinical trial is a research program conducted in patients to evaluate a new medical treatment, drug, or device. The purpose of clinical trials is to find new and improved methods of treating diseases and special conditions.
During a clinical trial, doctors use the best available treatment as a standard to evaluate new treatments. The new treatments are hoped to be at least as effective as -- or possibly more effective than -- the standard.
New treatment options are ...
Some products that may interact with rasagiline include: antidepressants (such as amitriptyline, fluoxetine, venlafaxine, bupropion), other MAO inhibitors (furazolidone, isocarboxazid, linezolid, moclobemide, phenelzine, procarbazine, selegiline, tranylcypromine), appetite suppressants (such as diethylpropion, sibutramine), drugs for attention deficit disorder (such as atomoxetine, methylphenidate), buspirone, cyclobenzaprine, dextromethorphan, certain herbal products (such as ephedra/ma huang, St. John's wort), cold medications/nasal decongestants (such as phenylephrine, phenylpropanolamine, pseudoephedrine), certain narcotic medications (meperidine, methadone, propoxyphene), street drugs (such as MDMA/"ecstasy", LSD, mescaline), stimulants (such as amphetamines, ephedrine), supplements (such as tryptophan, tyramine), tramadol.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are using any of these medications before, during, or within 2 weeks after treatment with rasagiline. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have taken fluoxetine at least 5 weeks before starting rasagiline. Discuss with your doctor how much time to wait between starting or stopping any of these drugs and taking rasagiline.
Check the labels on all your medicines (such as allergy, cough-and-cold products, diet pills) because they may contain dextromethorphan, decongestants, or stimulants. Ask your pharmacist about the safe use of those products.
Other medications can affect the removal of rasagiline from your body, which may affect how rasagiline works. Examples include cimetidine, fluvoxamine, rifampin, quinolone antibiotics (such as ciprofloxacin), anticonvulsants (such as carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine), among others.
A very serious high blood pressure reaction may rarely occur if you eat a large amount of tyramine while taking this medication and for 2 weeks after you stop the medication. Avoid foods and beverages that are high in tyramine, including: aged cheeses (such as Stilton, cheddar), dried/aged/fermented meats and sausages (such as salami, liverwurst), preserved fish (such as pickled herring), fermented foods (such as sauerkraut, kim chee), most soybean products (such as soy sauce, tofu), broad/fava beans, tap beers, vermouth. Consult your doctor or dietician for more details and a complete list of other tyramine-containing foods you should avoid. Seek immediate medical attention if you notice symptoms of very high blood pressure such as unusually fast/slow heartbeat, vomiting, unexplained sweating, headache, chest pain, sudden vision changes, weakness on one side of the body, difficulty thinking, slurred speech.
OVERDOSE: If overdose is suspected, contact your local poison control center or emergency room immediately. US residents can call the US National Poison Hotline at 1-800-222-1222. Canada residents can call a provincial poison control center. Symptoms of overdose may not appear for up to 12 hours and may include: excitement, irritability, restlessness, dizziness, weakness, drowsiness, flushing, sweating, fast heartbeat, headache, confusion, seizures.
NOTES: Do not share this medication with others.
People with Parkinson's disease may have an increased risk for developing skin cancer (melanoma). Tell your doctor promptly if you notice a change in the appearance or size of moles or other unusual skin changes. Ask your doctor if you should have regular skin exams.
MISSED DOSE: If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If it is near the time of the next dose, skip the missed dose and resume your usual dosing schedule. Do not double the dose to catch up.
STORAGE: Store at room temperature at 77 degrees F (25 degrees C) away from light and moisture. Brief storage between 59-86 degrees F (15-30 degrees C) is permitted. Do not store in the bathroom. Keep all medications away from children and pets.
Do not flush medications down the toilet or pour them into a drain unless instructed to do so. Properly discard this product when it is expired or no longer needed. Consult your pharmacist or local waste disposal company for more details about how to safely discard your product.
MEDICAL ALERT: Your condition can cause complications in a medical emergency. For information about enrolling in MedicAlert, call 1-800-854-1166 (USA) or 1-800-668-1507 (Canada).
Information last revised January 2011 Copyright(c) 2011 First DataBank, Inc.
Report Problems to the Food and Drug Administration
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit the FDA MedWatch website or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
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