Milnacipran Drug: Indication, Dosage, Precaution, Side Effect , Storage, Category Type and corresponding Brands - www.genericdrugscan.com

Milnacipran

pronunciation

pronounced as (mil na' si pran)

Why is this medication prescribed?

Milnacipran is used to treat fibromyalgia (a long-lasting condition that may cause pain, muscle stiffness and tenderness, tiredness, and difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep). Milnacipran is in a class of medications called selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). It works by increasing the amount of serotonin and norepinephrine, natural substances that help stop the movement of pain signals in the brain.

How should this medicine be used?

Milnacipran comes as a tablet to be taken by mouth. It is usually taken two times a day. Milnacipran may be taken with or without food, but taking it with food will decrease the chance that milnacipran will upset your stomach. Take milnacipran at around the same times every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take milnacipran exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.

Your doctor will start you on a low dose of milnacipran and gradually increase your dose during the first week of treatment.

Milnacipran may help control the symptoms of fibromyalgia, but will not cure it. Do not stop taking milnacipran without talking to your doctor. If you suddenly stop taking milnacipran, you may experience withdrawal symptoms such as mood changes, irritability, agitation, dizziness, numbness or tingling in the hands or feet, anxiety, confusion, headache, tiredness, difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, ringing in the ears, abnormal excitement, or seizures. Your doctor will probably decrease your dose gradually.

What are the precautions to be followed?

• tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to milnacipran, any other medications, or any of the ingredients in milnacipran tablets. Ask your pharmacist or check the Medication Guide for a list of the ingredients.
• tell your doctor if you are taking a monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), linezolid (Zyvox), methylene blue, phenelzine (Nardil), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam, Zelapar), and tranylcypromine (Parnate), or if you have stopped taking an MAO inhibitor within the past 14 days. Your doctor will probably tell you not to take milnacipran. If you stop taking milnacipran, your doctor may tell you that you should wait at least 5 days before you start to take an MAO inhibitor.
• tell your doctor and pharmacist what other prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, or herbal products you are taking or plan to take. Be sure to mention any of the following: anticoagulants ('blood thinners') such as warfarin (Coumadin); aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn); buspirone; clonidine (Catapres); digoxin (Lanoxicaps, Digitek, Lanoxin); diuretics ('water pills'); epinephrine (Epipen, Primatene Mist); fentanyl (Abstral, Actiq, Fentora, Onsolis, others); lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid); medications for anxiety, mental illness, pain, or seizures; medications for migraine headaches such as almotriptan (Axert), eletriptan (Relpax), frovatriptan (Frova), naratriptan (Amerge), rizatriptan (Maxalt), sumatriptan (Imitrex), and zolmitriptan (Zomig); sedatives; selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil), and sertraline (Zoloft); sleeping pills; tramadol; tranquilizers; selective serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) such as duloxetine (Cymbalta), desvenlafaxine (Pristiq), and venlafaxine (Effexor); and tricyclics antidepressants such as amitriptyline (Elavil), amoxapine (Asendin), clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin), doxepin (Adapin, Sinequan), imipramine (Tofranil), nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor), protriptyline (Vivactil), and trimipramine (Surmontil). Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects.
• tell your doctor what nutritional supplements and herbal products you are taking, especially St. John's wort and tryptophan.
• tell your doctor if you have glaucoma (increased pressure in the eye that may lead to vision loss). Your doctor will probably tell you not to take milnacipran.
• tell your doctor if you drink or have ever drunk large amounts of alcohol and if you have or have ever had high blood pressure; seizures; an irregular heartbeat; an enlarged or inflamed prostate (a male reproductive gland); difficulty urinating; bleeding problems; or heart, kidney, or liver disease.
• tell your doctor if you are pregnant, especially if you are in the last few months of your pregnancy, or if you plan to become pregnant or are breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while taking milnacipran, call your doctor. Milnacipran may cause problems in newborns following delivery if it is taken during the last months of pregnancy.
• if you are having surgery, including dental surgery, tell the doctor or dentist that you are taking milnacipran.
• you should know that milnacipran may make you drowsy. Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how this medication affects you.
• talk to your doctor about the safe use of alcoholic beverages while you are taking milnacipran.

What are possible side effects of this medication ?

• nausea
• vomiting
• constipation
• stomach pain
• weight loss
• dry mouth
• feeling of extreme facial warmth and/or redness
• headache
• blurred vision
• decreased sexual desire or ability
• pain or swelling of the testicles
• difficulty urinating
• rash
• itching

• hallucinations (seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist)
• confusion
• difficulty concentrating
• memory problems
• sweating or fever
• diarrhea
• dizziness
• uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body
• severe muscle stiffness
• weakness
• unsteady walking that may cause falling
• seizures
• fainting
• coma (loss of consciousness for a period of time)
• slowed or stopped breathing
• fast or pounding heartbeat
• difficulty breathing
• extreme tiredness
• lack of energy
• loss of appetite
• pain in the upper right part of the stomach
• yellowing of the skin or eyes
• flu-like symptoms
• black and tarry stools
• red blood in stools
• bloody vomit
• vomit that looks like coffee grounds
• unusual bleeding or bruising
• nosebleeds
• tiny red spots directly under the skin

Milnacipran may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while you are taking this medication.

How to store the medication and dispose it of after its use later?

Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture (not in the bathroom). Throw away any medication that is outdated or no longer needed. Talk to your pharmacist about the proper disposal of your medication.

Drug Category/Class

• Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors
• Adrenergic Uptake Inhibitors
• Antidepressive Agents
• Antidepressants
• Psychoanaleptics
• Nervous System
• Other antidepressants

Prescribed	Milnacipran is used to treat moderate to severe clinical depression but this indication is not yet FDA-approved in the USA. Milnacipran is labelled...
Weight :	246.348
Structure	Milnacipran
Formula	C15H22N2O

Milnacipran has 8 Brands listed

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