What is Tasmar used for?
Tasmar is used together with the
Parkinson’s medication, carbidopa/levodopa to treat Parkinson’s disease. Tasmar
appears to help make the medications work longer.
Who should not
take Tasmar?
Patients with severely reduced liver or kidney function should
be carefully monitored by their health care provider. Your health care provider will
decide if you are a candidate for treatment with Tasmar.
Post Marketing Experience:
In patients taking Tasmar serious side effects have been reported including
non-traumatic rhabdomyolsis (unexplained muscle tenderness or pain), extremely high fever,
confusion and death. It is not possible to determine if these events are directly related
to Tasmar, to certain other medications taken at the same time, to a combination of these
factors, or to other factors.
Special Warnings:
Due to the risk of serious liver injury and even death, Tasmar is reserved
for use in patients who do not have severe movement abnormalities and who do not respond
to or who cannot take other available treatments.
Your health care provider will ask you to sign a "patient consent"
form to make sure that you understand the potential risks and benefits of taking Tasmar.
What should I tell my doctor or health care provider?
Because certain other medications can interact with Tasmar, review all
medications that you are taking with your doctor, including those that you take without a
prescription.
Do not drive a car or operate heavy machinery until you know how you will react
to Tasmar.
Tell your doctor or health care provider if you are:
- trying to become pregnant, are already pregnant, or are breast-feeding.
- taking a certain type of medication called a monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor.
- taking other sleep inducing drugs.
Special Instructions:
- Keep regularly scheduled appointments with your health care provider
while being treated with Tasmar to monitor Tasmar’s effect on your liver. It is
recommended that your doctor perform liver tests every 2 weeks for the first year of
therapy, every 4 weeks for the next 6 months and then every 8 weeks thereafter.
- Contact your doctor immediately if you experience signs or symptoms of liver
disease such as:
- clay colored stool
- yellow coloring of the eyes and skin
- feeling tired or having no energy
- loss of appetite
- drowsiness
- Do not stop taking Tasmar without first telling your health care
provider.
What are some possible side effects of Tasmar?
(This is NOT
a complete list of side effects reported with Tasmar. Your health care provider can
discuss with you a more complete list of side effects.)
Some of the side
effects listed below may not appear for up to twelve weeks:
- Abnormal jerky movements
- Nausea
- Dizziness or fainting especially upon quickly standing or going from a laying
down to an upright position
- Sleep disorders
- Diarrhea
- Hallucinations
For more detailed information about Tasmar, ask your health care provider.
Link to Tasmar's approved label 
Posted: 2/20/98
Updated: 1/6/99
Revised: 7/25/00 |
Notice: The