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What side effects can this medication cause?
Check with your doctor as soon as possible if any of the following side effects occur:
- Achiness; chills; fast or irregular heartbeat; increased blood pressure ; mental depression; pain
ful menstruation; swelling of body or of feet and ankles
- Bruising or red spots or patches on skin; convulsions (seizures); excessive bleeding following injury; headache (severe); ra
pidly changing moods; skin rash; weight gain (unusual)
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MERIDIA is a short-term drug that helps you to start losing weight and then keep on going when you are ready to carry on, on your own. Your body starts to build up a resistance to the effects of MERIDIA after a few weeks of treatment, which
Included on your medical history/personal profile questionnaire all the medicines you use, (prescription and nonprescription), especially other weight reducing agents (e.g., diethylpropion), drugs tha
t can raise blood pressure such as decongestants (e.g., pseudoephedrine, phenylpropanolamine), cough suppressants (e.g., dextromethorphan), antidepressants (e.g., nefazodone, fluoxetine, paroxetine, s
ertraline, fluvoxamine, venlafaxine), lithium, psychiatric medications (e.g., MAO Inhibitors such as selegiline, moclobemide, furazolidone, phenelzine, tranylcypromine), drugs for migraines (e.g., dih
ydroergotamine, sumatriptan), tryptophan, certain narcotic pain relievers, ketoconazole, erythromycin, high blood pressure medicine or any drugs which can cause drowsiness,
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Why is this medication prescribed?
Patients treated with MERIDIA while on a reduced calorie diet showed significant weight loss during the first 6 months of treatment, and significant weight loss was maintained for one year. In one 12-
month study, the average weight loss in patients taking MERIDIA, 10 mg daily, was about 10 lbs. and in those taking 15 mg daily was about 14 lbs. The average weight loss in persons on only a reduced c
alorie diet alone was 3 1/2 lbs. Thus, MERIDIA is proven effective therapy for the obese patient who needs to loose weight to decease morbidity. Nonetheless, the magnitude of the weight loss will ulti
mately depend on the degree of concomitant caloric restriction and the concomitant use of a graded exercise program.
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How should this medicine be used?
The recommended starting dose of MERIDIA is 10-milligrams administered once daily with or without food. If there is inadequate weight loss, the dose may be titrated after 4 weeks to a total of 15-mill
igrams taken once daily. The 5-milligram dose should be reserved for those patients that do not tolerate the 10-milligram dose. Blood pressure and heart rate changes should betaken into consideration
when making decisions regarding dose titration. Take this medication as prescribed. Do not take it more often or longer than directed. Use in combination with other appetite suppressant medicine is ge
nerally not recommended.
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Cautions
It is important that your doctor check your progress at regular visits. Meridia may increase blood pressure or heart rate and your doctor will check for these effects. Your doctor may need to adjust y
our dose.
If Meridia does not seem to be working well, do not increase your dosage. Check with your doctor.
Do not drink excess alcohol while taking Meridia.
Notify your do
ctor as soon as possible if you develop a skin rash, hives, or other allergic symptoms.
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