Patient leaflet - Rasagiline Relonchem 1 mg tablets
1. What Rasagiline is and what it is used for
Rasagiline contains the active substance Rasagiline (as mesylate) and it is used for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease in adults. It can be used together with or without Levodopa (another medicine that is used to treat Parkinson’s disease).
With Parkinson’s disease, there is a loss of cells that produce dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is a chemical in the brain involved in movement control. Rasagiline helps to increase and sustain levels of dopamine in the brain.
2. What you need to know before you take Rasagiline
Do not take Rasagiline
If you are allergic to Rasagiline or any of
the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).
- If you have severe liver problems.
Do not take the following medicines while taking Rasagiline:
Monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors (e.g. for treatment of
depression or Parkinson’s disease, or used for any other indication), including medicinal and natural products without prescription e.g. St. John's Wort.
- Pethidine (a strong pain killer).
You must wait at least 14 days after stopping Rasagiline treatment and starting treatment with MAO inhibitors or pethidine.
Warnings and precautions
Talk to your doctor before taking Rasagiline
- If you have any liver problems.
You should speak with your doctor about any suspicious skin
changes. Treatment with Rasagiline may possibly increase the risk of skin cancer.
Tell your doctor if you or your family/carer notices that you are developing unusual behaviours where you cannot resist the impulse, urges or cravings to carry out certain harmful or detrimental activities to yourself or others. These are called impulse control disorders. In patients taking Rasagiline and/or other medicines used to treat Parkinson’s disease, behaviours such as compulsions, obsessive thoughts, addictive gambling, excessive spending, impulsive behaviour and an abnormally high sex drive or an increase in sexual thoughts or feelings have been observed. Your doctor may need to adjust or stop your dose (see section 4).
Rasagiline may cause drowsiness and may cause you to suddenly fall asleep during daytime activities, especially if you are taking other dopaminergic medicinal products (used for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease). For further information please refer to section driving and using machines.
Children and adolescents
There is no relevant use of Rasagiline in children and adolescents.
Therefore, Rasagiline is not recommended for use under the age of 18.
Other medicines and Rasagiline
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines.
Especially tell your doctor if you are taking any of the following medicines:
- Certain antidepressants (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, selective serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic or tetracyclic antidepressants).
- The antibiotic ciprofloxacin used against infections.
- The cough suppressant dextromethorphan.
- Sympathomimetics such as those present in eye drops, nasal and oral decongestants and cold medicine containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine.
The use of Rasagiline together with the antidepressants containing fluoxetine or fluvoxamine should be avoided.
If you are starting treatment with Rasagiline, you should wait at least 5 weeks after stopping fluoxetine treatment.
If you are starting treatment with fluoxetine or fluvoxamine, you should wait at least 14 days after stopping Rasagiline treatment.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are smoking or intend to stop smoking. Smoking could decrease the amount of Rasagiline in the blood.
Pregnancy, breast-feeding and fertility
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.
You should avoid taking Rasagiline if you are pregnant, as the effects of Rasagiline on pregnancy and the unborn child are not known.
Driving and using machines
Ask your doctor for advice before you drive
and operate machines, since Parkinson’s
disease itself as well as the treatment with
Rasagiline may influence your ability to do so.
Rasagiline can make you feel dizzy or drowsy;
it can also cause episodes of sudden sleep
onset.
This might be enhanced if you take other medicines to treat the symptoms of your Parkinson’s disease, or if you take medicines which can make you feel drowsy, or if you drink alcohol while taking Rasagiline. If you have experienced somnolence and/or episodes of sudden sleep onset before, or while taking Rasagiline do not drive or operate machinery (see section 2).
3. How to take Rasagiline
Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
The recommended dose of Rasagiline is 1 tablet of 1 mg taken by mouth once daily. Rasagiline may be taken with or without food.
If you take more Rasagiline than you should
If you think that you may have taken too many Rasagiline tablets, contact your doctor or pharmacist immediately. Take the Rasagiline carton/ blister with you to show the doctor or pharmacist.
Symptoms reported following overdose of Rasagiline included slightly euphoric mood (light form of mania), extremely high blood pressure and serotonin syndrome (see section 4).
If you forget to take Rasagiline
Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose. Take the next dose normally, when it is time to take it.
If you stop taking Rasagiline
If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
4. Possible side effects
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. Contact your doctor right away if you notice any of the following symptoms. You may need urgent medical advice or treatment:
If you develop unusual behaviours such as compulsions,
obsessive thoughts, addictive gambling, excessive shopping or spending, impulsive behaviour and an abnormally high sex drive or an increase in sexual thoughts (impulse control disorders) (see section 2).
- If you see or hear things which are not there (hallucinations).
Any combination of hallucinations, fever, restlessness, tremor
and sweating (serotonin syndrome).
Contact your doctor if you notice any suspicious skin changes because there may be an increased risk of skin cancer (melanoma) with the use of this medicine (see section 2).
Other side effects
Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people)
- Involuntary movements (dyskinesia).
- Headache.
Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people)
- Abdominal pain.
- Fall.
- Allergy.
- Fever.
- Flu (influenza).
- General feeling of being unwell (malaise).
- Neck pain.
Chest pain (angina pectoris).
Low blood pressure when rising to a
standing position with symptoms like dizziness/ lightheadedness (orthostatic hypotension).
- Decreased appetite.
- Constipation.
- Dry mouth.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Flatulence.
- Abnormal results of blood tests (leucopenia).
- Joint pain (arthralgia).
- Musculoskeletal pain.
- Joint inflammation (arthritis).
Numbness and muscle weakness of the hand (carpal tunnel
syndrome).
- Decreased weight.
- Abnormal dreams.
- Difficulty in muscular coordination (balance disorder).
- Depression.
- Dizziness (vertigo).
- Prolonged muscle contractions (dystonia).
- Runny nose (rhinitis).
- Irritation of the skin (dermatitis).
- Rash.
- Bloodshot eyes (conjunctivitis).
- Urinary urgency.
Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people)
- Stroke (cerebrovascular accident).
- Heart attack (myocardial infarction).
- Blistering rash (vesiculobullous rash).
Not known: frequency cannot be estimated from the available data
- Elevated blood pressure.
- Excessive drowsiness.
- Sudden onset of sleep.
Reporting of side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via Yellow Card Scheme Website: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store. By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
5. How to store Rasagiline
Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children. Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the package. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month. Do not store above 30ºC.
POM
200 mm
Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
6. Contents of the pack and other information
What Rasagiline contains
The active substance is Rasagiline. Each tablet contains 1 mg
Rasagiline (as mesilate).
- The other ingredients are Microcrystalline cellulose, Corn starch (Maize starch), Colloidal silicon dioxide, Anhydrous citric acid, Pregelatinized Starch, Talc and Stearic acid.
What Rasagiline looks like and contents of the pack
White to off-white, round, flat, beveled edged tablets debossed with “C13” on one side and plain on the other side (Approximate size: 8 mm).
The tablets are available in blister packs of 28, 30, 60 and 100 Tablets.
Not all pack sizes may be marketed.
Marketing Authorization Holder and Manufacturer: Relonchem Limited,
Cheshire House, Gorsey Lane,
Widnes, Cheshire, WA8 0RP, UK.
Product Licence Number: PL 20395/0356.