Stemetil 5mg/5ml Syrup
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Read all of this leaflet carefully before you start
taking this medicine
• Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again
• If you have any further questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist
• This medicine has been prescribed for you. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their symptoms are the same as yours
• If any of the side effects gets serious, or if you notice any side effects not listed in this leaflet, please tell your doctor or pharmacist
In this leaflet:
1. What Stemetil Syrup is and what it is used for
2. Before you take Stemetil Syrup
3. How to take Stemetil Syrup
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Stemetil Syrup
6. Further information
Stemetil Syrup contains a medicine called
prochlorperazine mesilate. This belongs to a group
of medicines called ‘phenothiazine antipsychotics’.
It works by blocking the effects of a chemical in the
brain.
Stemetil Syrup can be used to:
• Treat balance problems or dizziness (vertigo).
This includes problems of the inner ear such as ‘Meniere’s Syndrome’ or ‘labyrinthitis’
• Stop you feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting). This can be from any cause including migraines
• Treat schizophrenia
• Treat over-active behaviour or thoughts (mania)
• Treat anxiety in the short-term, when used in addition to other medicines
Do not take this medicine and tell doctor if:
X You are allergic (hypersensitive) to prochlorperazine mesilate or any of the other ingredients of Stemetil Syrup (listed in Section 6). Signs of an allergic reaction include: a rash, swallowing or breathing problems, swelling of your lips, face, throat or tongue
Check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking your medicine if:
▲You are allergic to phenothiazine medicines such as chlorpromazine
▲You have heart problems or a family history of heart problems ▲You have ever had a stroke ▲You have liver or kidney problems ▲You have thyroid problems ▲You have an enlarged prostate gland. This means you may have problems when passing water (urine)
▲You have Parkinson’s disease ▲You have dementia
▲You have epilepsy or have ever had fits (seizures) ▲You have depression
▲You have a tumour on your adrenal gland called ‘phaeochromocytoma’
▲You have a type of muscle weakness called ‘myasthenia gravis’
▲You have or have ever had glaucoma (signs include painful eyes with blurred vision)
▲You have or have ever had a low number of white blood cells (agranulocytosis). This would lead you to get infections more easily than usual ▲You have low blood levels of potassium, calcium and magnesium. Your doctor may perform blood tests to check on these
▲You or someone else in your family has a history of blood clots, as medicines like these have been associated with formation of blood clots ▲You are not eating properly or are very underweight
▲You have a history of alcohol problems ▲You are elderly (65 years of age or older)
▲The person is a child. This is because children may develop unusual face and body movements (dystonic reactions)
▲You are diabetic or have high levels of sugar in your blood (hyperglycaemia). Your doctor may want to monitor you more closely
If you are not sure if any of the above apply to you, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Stemetil Syrup.
Taking other medicines
Please tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking or have recently taken any other medicines. This includes medicines you buy without a prescription, including herbal medicines. This is because Stemetil Syrup can 01 affect the way some other medicines work. Also some medicines can affect the way Stemetil Syrup ° works.
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In particular, tell your doctor if you are taking any of the following:
• Medicines to help you sleep (sedatives, barbiturates)
• Other medicines used to calm emotional and mental conditions
• Medicines used for depression
• Medicines used for Parkinson’s disease such as levodopa
• Medicines for fits (epilepsy) such as carbamazepine
• Medicines used to control your heartbeat such as amiodarone, disopyramide, propanolol or quinidine
• Medicines for high blood pressure such as doxazosin, terazosin, guanethidine or clonidine
• Medicines used for diabetes
• Medicines used for cancer (cytotoxics)
• Medicines used for infections (antibiotics)
• Medicines for indigestion and heartburn (antacids)
• Anticholinergic medicines - includes some medicines used for irritable bowel syndrome, asthma or incontinence
• Amphetamines - used for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Adrenaline - used for life threatening allergic reactions
• Desferrioxamine - used when you have too much iron in your blood
• Lithium - used for some types of mental illness
Taking Stemetil Syrup with food and drink
Do not drink alcohol while you are taking Stemetil Syrup. This is because alcohol can add to the effects of Stemetil Syrup and can cause serious breathing difficulties.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding
Do not take Stemetil Syrup if:
• You are pregnant, might become pregnant or think you might be pregnant
• You are breast-feeding or planning to breast-feed
The following symptoms may occur in newborn babies, of mothers that have used Stemetil Syrup in the last trimester (last three months of their pregnancy): shaking, muscle stiffness and/or weakness, sleepiness, agitation, breathing problems, and difficulty in feeding. If your baby develops any of these symptoms you may need to contact your doctor.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking any medicine if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Driving and using machines
You may feel sleepy after taking this medicine. If this happens, do not drive or use any tools or machines.
Important information about some of the
ingredients of Stemetil Syrup
• Sucrose: This medicine contains sucrose, which is a type of sugar. If you have been told by your doctor that you cannot tolerate some sugars, talk to your doctor before taking the syrup
• Sodium: This medicine contains 27 mg of sodium per 5 ml dose. This should be taken into consideration by people on a controlled sodium diet
• Sulphites: This medicine contains small amounts of sulphites. These may cause severe allergic (hypersensitivity) reactions and difficulty in breathing (bronchospasm). This is more likely
to happen if you have a history of asthma or allergies. The chances of this happening are rare. Stop taking the medicine if you get a rash, swallowing or breathing problems or swelling of your lips, face, throat or tongue
• Ethanol: This medicine contains small amounts of ethanol (alcohol), less than 100 mg per 5 ml
3. How to take Stemetil Syrup
Always take Stemetil Syrup exactly as your doctor has told you. You should check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
Taking this medicine
• Take this medicine by mouth
• Do not give to children under 1 year of age or who weigh less than 10 kg
• Do not let the syrup touch your skin, as you may get skin redness, swelling and itching (contact skin sensitisation)
• If you feel the effect of your medicine is too weak or too strong, do not change the dose yourself, but ask your doctor
How much to take Adults:
Treatment of balance problems or dizziness (vertigo):
• The usual dose is 5 ml three times each day
• This may be increased to a total daily dose of 30 ml each day
• After several weeks treatment, your doctor may decide to gradually lower your daily dose to 5 to 10 ml each day
Stopping you feeling sick or being sick:
• The usual dose is 5 or 10 ml
• This may be taken two or three times each day Treatment of feeling sick or being sick:
• To begin with you will usually take 20 ml
• This may be followed by 10 ml two hours later Treatment of schizophrenia and over-active behaviour or thoughts (mania):
• The starting dose is usually 12.5 ml twice m each day for seven days
• Your doctor may increase your dose up to a total daily dose of 75 to 100 ml each day
• After several weeks of treatment, your doctor
may then lower your dose to a total daily dose of 25 to 50 ml each day 2
Short-term treatment of anxiety:
• The starting dose will be 15 to 20 ml each day in divided doses
• Your doctor may then increase your dose to a total daily dose of 40 ml each day
Elderly:
• Your doctor may prescribe a lower dose
• You should be careful during very hot or very cold weather to make sure that you do not get too hot or too cold
Children (over 1 year of age and weighing more than 10 kg):
Stopping your child feeling sick or being sick:
• Your doctor will decide the dose according to your child’s weight
• A dose of 0.25 mg for each kilogram of your child’s weight is usually given
• This dose may be given two or three times a day
If you take more Stemetil Syrup than you should
If you take more Stemetil Syrup than you should, tell a doctor or go to a hospital casualty department straight away. Take the medicine pack with you.
This is so the doctor knows what you have taken. Taking too much Stemetil Syrup may cause symptoms such as feeling sleepy or dizzy, increased or rapid heartbeat, feeling very cold and confused, writhing movements, feeling restless, stiffness or shaking. You may lose consciousness.
If you forget to take Stemetil Syrup
If you forget a dose, take it as soon as you remember it. However, if it is nearly time for the next dose, skip the missed dose. Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose.
If you stop taking Stemetil Syrup
Keep taking Stemetil Syrup until your doctor tells you to stop. Do not stop taking Stemetil Syrup just because you feel better. If you stop, your illness may come back and you may have other effects such as feeling or being sick or difficulty sleeping. Your doctor will gradually stop your medicine to prevent these effects happening.
Exposure to sunlight
Stemetil Syrup can cause your skin to be more sensitive to sunlight. You should avoid exposure to direct sunlight while taking this medicine.
Tests
Your doctor may do regular tests while you are taking this medicine. These might include blood tests and an ECG to check your heart is working properly.
If you have any further questions on the use of this product, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Like all medicines, Stemetil Syrup can cause side
effects, although not everybody gets them.
Stop taking Stemetil Syrup and see a doctor or
go to a hospital straight away if:
• You have an allergic reaction. The signs may include: a rash, swallowing or breathing problems, swelling of your lips, face, throat or tongue
• You have an unusually pale complexion, sweating, high temperature, fast heartbeat, stiff muscles, fast breathing and feel confused, drowsy or agitated. These could be signs of a serious side effect called ‘neuroleptic malignant syndrome’
• You have frequent infections such as fever, sore throat or mouth ulcers. These could be signs of a blood problem called leucopenia
• You may get infections more easily than usual.
This could be because of a blood disorder (agranulocytosis)
• You have yellowing of your skin or eyes (jaundice). These could be signs of liver problems
• You have a very fast, uneven or forceful heartbeats (palpitations) and experience breathing problems such as wheezing, shortness of breath, tightness in the chest and chest pain
• You have blood clots in the veins especially in the legs (symptoms include swelling, pain and redness in the leg), which may travel through blood vessels to the lungs causing chest pain and difficulty in breathing. If you notice any of these symptoms seek medical advice immediately
• You have rigid or stiff muscles, trembling or shaking, unusual eye movements (including rolling of the eyes), difficulty moving, or loss of muscle power
Tell your doctor as soon as possible if you have
any of the following side effects:
• Breathing problems
• Changes in your skin or eye colour after taking Stemetil Syrup for a long period of time
• Problems with your eyesight after taking Stemetil Syrup for a long period of time
• Feeling dizzy, light-headed or faint when you stand or sit up quickly (due to low blood pressure)
• You have fits (convulsions)
• Feeling tired,weak,confused and have muscles that ache, are stiff or do not work well. This may be due to low sodium levels in your blood (hyponatraemia)
• Feeling unwell, confused and/or weak, feeling sick (nausea), loss of appetite, feeling irritable.
This could be something called a syndrome of inappropriate anti-diuretic hormone secretion (SIADH)
• Very fast, uneven or forceful heartbeats "
(palpitations)
• Passing large amounts of urine, excessive thirst ° and having a dry mouth or skin. You may be more likely to get infections, such as thrush.
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This could be due to too much sugar in your blood (hyperglycaemia)
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if any of the following side effects get serious or lasts longer than a few days:
• Abnormal production of breast milk in men and
women
• Breast enlargement in men
• Loss of menstrual periods
• Difficulty in getting or maintaining an erection (impotence)
• Difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
• Feeling restless or agitated
• Dry mouth
• Your skin being more sensitive to the sun than usual
• Stuffy nose
• Skin rashes
• Skin redness, swelling and itching from touching the medicine
As with other phenothiazine medicines, there have been very rare reports of sudden death with Stemetil Syrup. These are possibly caused by heart problems.
In elderly people with dementia, a small increase in the number of deaths has been reported for patients taking antipsychotics compared with those not receiving antipsychotics.
Reporting of side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
Keep this medicine in a safe place where children cannot see or reach it.
Do not use Stemetil Syrup after the expiry date which is stated on the bottle label and carton, after EXP. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
Store protected from light.
Medicines should not be disposed of via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of medicines no longer required. These measures will help to protect the environment.
What Stemetil Syrup contains
• Each 5 ml of Stemetil Syrup contains 5 mg of the active substance, prochlorperazine mesilate
• The other ingredients are sucrose, polysorbate 80 (E433), banana flavour, caramel (E150), anhydrous
citric acid (E330), sodium citrate (E331), sodium benzoate (E211), sodium sulphite anhydrous (E221), sodium metabisulphite powder (E223) , ascorbic acid L(+) (E300) and purified water
What Stemetil Syrup looks like and contents of the pack
Stemetil is a dark straw coloured syrup.
Stemetil Syrup is available in amber glass bottles containing 100 or 125 ml.
Marketing Authorisation Holder and Manufacturer
Marketing Authorisation Holder
Sanofi, One Onslow Street, Guildford, Surrey,
GU1 4YS, UK Tel: 0845 372 7101
email: uk-medicalinformation@sanofi.com Manufacturer
Unither Liquid Manufacturing, 1-3 Allee de la Neste, Z.I. d’en Sigal,
31770 Colomiers, France
This leaflet does not contain all the information about your medicine. If you have any questions or are not sure about anything, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
This leaflet was last revised in 04/2014 © Sanofi, 1973 - 2014
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