Drug Name

Emsam (Selegiline)

Drug Uses

Emsam is a medicine, used for the treatment of depression. It is applied as a patch to your skin.

How Taken

This medicine is for use on the skin. Carefully follow the directions that come with the patches. Use exactly as directed. Find an area of skin on your upper torso (below the neck and above the waist), upper thigh, or the outer surface of the upper arm that is clean, dry, undamaged, and hairless. Before you apply the patch, wash hands and the area where the patch is to be applied with soap and water. Dry your hands and the area thoroughly. Remove the patch from the sealed pouch and apply it immediately. Do not try to cut or trim the patch. Using your palm, press the patch firmly in place to make sure that there is a good contact with your skin. Wash your hands again with soap and water after you apply the patch. Change the patch every day, at roughly the same time each day. When you apply a new patch, use a new area of skin. Do not use more than one patch at a time. If your patch falls off, apply a new patch to a new site and continue with your previous schedule. You should throw away the folded patch so that children and/or pets cannot reach it. Showering, bathing, or swimming should not effect your patch. Avoid having the patch come in contact with sources of heat like heating pads, electric blankets, heat lamps, saunas, hot tubs, heated water beds, and prolonged direct sunlight. Elderly patients over the age of 65 may have a stronger reaction to this medicine and should use it with caution. Contact your pediatrician or health care professional regarding the use of this medicine in children. Special care may be needed.

Drug Class and Mechanism

Emsam is a unique option for patients with depression, also known as a major depressive disorder. It has been proven to provide a significant relief from depression.

Missed Dose

If you forget to replace a patch, use it as soon as you can. Only use one patch at a time and do not leave on the skin for longer than directed. If a patch falls off, you can replace it, but keep to your previous schedule and remove the patch at the right time.

Storage

Store at room temperature between 20 and 25 degrees C (68 and 77 degrees F). Do not store outside of the sealed pouch that your patch originally came in.

Warnings/Precautions

Do not apply more than one patch at a time. Do not cut the patch into smaller portions. You may get a dry mouth when using this medicine. To relieve your dry mouth, you may suck on hard candies (sugar-free if needed) or drink extra fluids.

Possible Side Effects

Side effects that you should report to your prescriber or health care professional as soon as possible: confusion or disorientation; fast heartbeat or a change in the way your heart beats (palpitations); lightheadedness or fainting, especially if it leads to any falls; mania symptoms (like inability to sleep, restlessness, hyperactivity or other unusual behaviors); onset of severe nausea or feeling sick to your stomach; rapid onset of sweating; severe headache; stiff neck; symptoms of serotonin syndrome (nausea, vomiting, sedation, dizziness, sweating, flushed face, confusion, restlessness, muscle spasm or twitching, shivering, and hypertension); worsening depression. Side effects that usually do not require medical attention (report to your prescriber or health care professional if they continue or are bothersome): dry mouth; minor weight loss; skin rash, mild redness or itching in the area where you apply the patch and it does not go away within several hours after removing the patch; stomach problems, such as temporary diarrhea, heartburn or gas (flatulence).

More Information

Keep out of the reach of children in a container that small children cannot open. Store this medicine in a safe place where children and pets cannot reach it. When you remove a patch, fold with sticky sides together; put in an empty opened pouch and throw away. Throw away in a container where children, pets, and others cannot accidentally apply or ingest the used patch.