When you hear selegiline, a selective monoamine oxidase-B inhibitor used to treat Parkinson’s disease and sometimes depression. Also known as L-deprenyl, it works by helping your brain hold onto dopamine longer—something your body naturally loses over time, especially with age or neurodegenerative conditions. Unlike older MAO inhibitors that hit every enzyme in your system, selegiline is more targeted. That’s why it’s often chosen when you need symptom control without the strict diet restrictions of older drugs.
It’s not just for Parkinson’s. Doctors sometimes prescribe it off-label for depression, especially when other antidepressants haven’t worked. That’s because it also affects norepinephrine and serotonin, two other brain chemicals tied to mood. But here’s the catch: at higher doses, it stops being selective. That’s when you need to watch what you eat and avoid certain medications—like SSRIs or opioids—because mixing them can trigger dangerous serotonin spikes. You don’t need to live on a bland diet at low doses, but knowing the risks keeps you safe.
People who’ve used selegiline often talk about slow, steady improvements—not a magic fix. For Parkinson’s, it helps with stiffness and tremors, especially in early stages. For depression, some report feeling more alert, less sluggish, but it takes weeks to notice. It’s not for everyone. If you’ve had liver problems, high blood pressure, or a history of psychosis, your doctor will check carefully before prescribing it. And while it’s available as a pill, there’s also a patch form that avoids the stomach and delivers it straight through your skin—fewer side effects, same benefit.
What you won’t find in every article is how it connects to other treatments. Selegiline doesn’t replace levodopa in Parkinson’s—it often works alongside it. In depression, it’s rarely the first choice, but for those who’ve tried five or six other meds and still feel stuck, it can be the missing piece. And unlike stimulants or newer antidepressants, it doesn’t cause weight gain or sexual side effects in most people—which is why some stick with it long-term.
There’s a reason you’ll see it mentioned in posts about drug interactions, tolerance, and generic safety. It’s a medication that’s been around for decades, but its use keeps evolving. People share stories about how it helped them stay active, reduced their tremors, or lifted a fog they didn’t even know was there. Others warn about insomnia, dizziness, or the rare but scary risk of hypertensive crisis if they accidentally ate aged cheese or took an OTC cold med. That’s why knowing your own body—and your meds—is critical.
Below, you’ll find real-world insights from people who’ve used selegiline, comparisons with other treatments, and warnings about what not to mix it with. Whether you’re considering it, already taking it, or just trying to understand why your doctor mentioned it, these posts give you the practical, no-fluff details you won’t get from a drug label.
Eldepryl (selegiline) is a Parkinson’s medication that helps manage symptoms by boosting dopamine in the brain. It’s often used early in treatment to delay stronger drugs and has fewer side effects than many alternatives.