Product Details

Class: Tricyclic antidepressants.

MOA:

These medicines act on nerve pathways in specific areas of the brain and help to correct certain chemical imbalances in the brain that are causing the symptoms of your illness. It is used to treat depression in patients who may, or may not, also be showing signs of anxiety.

Dosing:

Adults

• The starting dose is usually 1mg daily taken as a single dose in the morning.
• This may be increased to 2mg per day after one week.
• The maximum daily dose is 3mg per day.

Elderly patients (above 65 years)
The starting dose is usually 0.5mg daily taken as a single dose in the morning.
This may be increased to 1mg per day after one week.
The maximum daily dose is 2mg per day.
 

Children

• Fluanxol 1mg Tablets are not recommended for children.

How and when to take.

• Can be taken with or without food.
• Swallow the tablets with a drink of water. Do not chew them.
• You may feel an improvement within two or three days.
• If you think that the effect of Tablets is too strong or too weak, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
• Continue to take the tablets for as long as your doctor recommends. The underlying illness may persist for a long time and if you stop your treatment too soon your symptoms may return.
• Never change the dose of the medicine without talking to your doctor first.

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS
Flupentixol tablets can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. Elderly patients tend to be more prone to some of these effects than younger patients and this may mean your treatment is supervised more closely.
Serious side effects
Stop taking tablets and seek medical advice immediately if you have any of the following allergic reactions:

• Difficulty in breathing
• Swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat which causes difficulty in swallowing or breathing.
• Severe itching of the skin (with raised lumps)

If you get any of the following symptoms you should contact your doctor immediately as your dose may need to be reduced or stopped:

• High fever, unusual stiffness of the muscles and changes in consciousness, especially if occurring with sweating and fast heart rate. These symptoms may be signs of a rare but serious condition called neuroleptic malignant syndrome that has been reported with the use of Fluanxol 1mg Tablets and similar medicines.
• Unusual movements of the mouth and tongue as these may early signs of a condition known as tardive dyskinesia.
• Unusual muscle movements (such as circular movements of the eyes), stiffness, tremor and restlessness (for example difficulty to sit or stand still) as these may be signs of a so-called “extra pyramidal” reaction.

Side effects are most pronounced in the beginning of the treatment and most of them usually wear off during continued treatment.
Side effects may include:

• Blurred vision
• A faster heart beat
• A sudden drop in blood pressure when standing up
• Abnormal urination (loss of control or increased frequency)
• Confusion
• Increased amounts of the hormone prolactin in the blood
• Changes to your sex drive
• Weight gain
• Unusual milk secretion or problems with periods in women.
• Breast enlargement or problems with ejaculation or erections in men.
• Weight loss is a less common side effect

Occasional side effects may include

• Feeling over-excited
• Restlessness
• Difficulty in sleeping
• Epileptic fits
• Reduction in blood platelets (which increases the risk of bleeding or bruising) and other blood-cell changes.
• Drowsiness and sedation are unusual side effects

Special Care:

• If you have a heart condition (including an irregular heart beat) or severe breathing problems (such as asthma or bronchitis).
• If you have liver, kidney or thyroid problems.
• If you suffer from epilepsy, or have been told that you are at risk of having fits (for example because of a brain injury or because of alcohol withdrawal).
• If you suffer from Parkinson’s disease, or myasthenia gravis (a condition causing severe muscular weakness).
• If you have an enlarged prostate or suffer from a condition known as phaeochromocytoma (a rare type of cancer of a gland near the kidney).
• If you suffer from glaucoma (raised pressure within the eye).
• If you are diabetic.

Taking other medicines

The following medicines should NOT be taken at the same time as Fluanxol 1mg Tablets

• Antipsychotics or other medicines that change the heartbeat (quinidine, amiodarone, sotalol, dofetilide, erythromycin, terfenadine, astemizole, gatifloxacin, moxifloxacin, cisapride, lithium)
• Please tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, or have recently taken, any other medicines, including medicines obtained without a prescription.
• Tell your doctor if you are taking any of the following medicines:
• Tricyclic anti-depressants
• Barbiturates or other medicines that make you feel drowsy
• Anticoagulant drugs used to prevent blood clots (e.g. warfin)
• Anticholinergic drugs (contained in some cold, allergy or travel sickness remedies as well as other medicines)
• Metoclopramide (used to treat nausea and other stomach conditions)
• Piperazine (used to treat worm infections).
• Levopoda or other medicines used to treat Parkinson’s disease
• Sibutramine (used to reduce appetite)
• Digoxin (to control heart rhythm)
• Corticosteroids (e.g. prednisolone)
• Medicines used to lower the blood pressure such as hydralazine, alpha blockers (e.g. doxazosin), betablockers, methyldopa, clonidine or guanethidine
• Medicines used to treat epilepsy

Source: Drug.com