(Abbott)
CONSUMER MEDICINE INFORMATION
All medicines have benefits and risks. Your doctor has weighed the risks
of you taking PROTHIADEN (Dothiepin, Dosulepin) against the benefits they expect it will have
for you.
If you have any concerns about taking this medicine, ask your doctor
or pharmacist.
What is PROTHIADEN (Dothiepin, Dosulepin) used for
PROTHIADEN (Dothiepin, Dosulepin) is used to treat depression. It belongs to a group of medicines
called tricyclic antidepressants.
Depression is longer lasting and/or more severe than the 'low moods'
that everyone has from time to time due to the stress of everyday life.
It is thought to be caused by a chemical imbalance in parts of the brain.
This imbalance affects your whole body and can cause emotional and physical
symptoms such as loss of interest in activities, being unable to enjoy
life, disturbed sleep, often waking up early, poor appetite or overeating,
loss of sex drive, lack of energy and feeling guilty over nothing.
PROTHIADEN (Dothiepin, Dosulepin) corrects this chemical imbalance and may help relieve the
symptoms of depression.
Your doctor, however, may prescribe PROTHIADEN (Dothiepin, Dosulepin) for a purpose that is
not listed above. Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why
PROTHIADEN (Dothiepin, Dosulepin) has been prescribed for you.
PROTHIADEN (Dothiepin, Dosulepin) is only available with a doctor's prescription.
Before you take PROTHIADEN (Dothiepin, Dosulepin)
When you must not take it
Do not take PROTHIADEN (Dothiepin, Dosulepin) if:
• you have an allergy to PROTHIADEN (Dothiepin, Dosulepin), or
any of the ingredients listed at the end of this page.Some of the symptoms
of an allergic reaction may be an itchy skin rash, skin blisters or discolouration
of the skin upon exposure to sunlight.• you are taking another
medicine called a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) or have been taking
it within the last 14 days.Taking PROTHIADEN (Dothiepin, Dosulepin) with
an MAOI may cause a serious reaction with a sudden increase in body temperature,
extremely high blood pressure and severe
convulsions.Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure whether
you have been taking one of these medicines.
• you are pregnant:Medicines like PROTHIADEN (Dothiepin, Dosulepin)
may harm the developing baby.
• you are breast-feeding:Like many other medicines, PROTHIADEN
(Dothiepin, Dosulepin) can pass into breastmilk and may harm your baby.
• you have epilepsy or have had any fits or
convulsions.
PROTHIADEN (Dothiepin, Dosulepin) may increase the
chance of fitting or having convulsions.
• you have recently had a heart attack, for example within the
past two months.
PROTHIADEN (Dothiepin, Dosulepin) may cause irregular and/or rapid heart beat.
• you have liver failure:Your body may not
be able to remove PROTHIADEN (Dothiepin, Dosulepin) from your body.
If you are not sure whether you should be taking PROTHIADEN (Dothiepin, Dosulepin), consult
your doctor.
Do not take PROTHIADEN (Dothiepin, Dosulepin) if the packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering
or the tablets or capsules do not look quite right.
Do not take PROTHIADEN (Dothiepin, Dosulepin) if the expiry date (Exp) printed on the pack
has passed.
Use in children and adolescents (under 18 years)
There is not enough information available to recommend the use of PROTHIADEN
(Dothiepin, Dosulepin) in children under 18 years of age.Use in people
over 65 years:If you are 65 years or older, you should be especially
careful while taking PROTHIADEN (Dothiepin, Dosulepin). Report any side
effects promptly to your doctor.As people grow older, they are more likely
to get side effects from medicines.
