Selegiline

Selegiline, also known as L-deprenyl is a substituted phenethylamine that at normal clinical doses it is a selective irreversible MAO-B inhibitor. In larger doses it loses its specificity and also inhibits MAO-A. It is available in pill form under many brand names and is used to reduce symptoms in early-stage Parkinson's disease. A transdermal patch (brand name, Emsam) is used to treat depression.

Medical uses

For all human uses and all forms, selegiline is Pregnancy Category C.

Parkinson's disease

In its pill form, selegiline is used to treat symptoms of Parkinson's disease. It can be used on its own or in a combination with another agent, most often L-DOPA.

Selegiline delays the time point when the L-DOPA (levodopa) treatment becomes necessary from about 11 months to about 18 months after diagnosis, which is beneficial despite not being definitive evidence of neuroprotection. The rationale for adding selegiline to levodopa is to decrease the required dose of levodopa and thus reduce the motor complications of levodopa therapy.