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Other medical problems
Before taking .Ionamin,
- tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to .Ionamin or any other drugs.
- tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medi
cations you are taking, especially fluoxetine (Prozac), fluvoxamine (Luvox), guanethidine, insulin, MAO inhibitors [phenelzine (Nardil) and tranylcypromine (Parnate)] even if you stopped taking them w
ithin the past 2 weeks, medications for weight loss and depression, paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft),and vitamins.
- tell your doctor if you have or have ever had heart disease, high blood
pressure, arteriosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries), hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid gland), diabetes, glaucoma, or a history of drug abuse.
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How to Use
.Ionamin comes in tablets and extended-release capsules. It usually is taken as a single daily dose in the morning or three times a day 30 minutes before meals. Follow the directions on your prescript
ion label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take .Ionamin exactly as directed.
Most people take the drug for 3-6 weeks; the length of tre
atment depends on how you respond to the medication. .Ionamin can be habit-forming. Do not take a larger dose, take it more often, or for a longer period than your doctor tells you to.
To pre
vent side effects, .Ionamin should be taken with meals. If you are taking an extended-release (long-acting) product, do not chew or crush the tablet.
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Cautions
If you have been taking this medicine for a long time or in large doses and you think you may have become mentally or physically dependent on it, check with your doctor.
Some signs of depend
ence on appetite suppressants are:
- a strong desire or need to continue taking the medicine.
- a need to increase the dose to receive the effects of the medicine.
- withdrawal side eff
ects (for example, mental depression, nausea or vomiting, stomach cramps or pain, trembling, unusual tiredness or weakness) when you stop taking the medicine.
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Possible Side Effect
Although side effects from .Ionamin are not common, they can occur. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:
- dry mouth
- unpleasant taste
- diarrhe
a
- constipation
- vomiting
If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:
- increased blood pressure
- heart palpitations
- res
tlessness
- dizziness
- tremor
- insomnia
- shortness of breath
- chest pain
- dizziness
- swelling of the legs and ankles
- difficulty doing exercise that you
have been able to do
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Overdose
Symptoms may include : hallucinations (seeing, hearing or feeling things that are not there); high or low blood pressure; Abdominal or stomach cramps; coma; confusion; convulsions (seizures); d
iarrhea (severe); dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting; fast breathing; feeling of panic; fever; hostility with urge to attack; irregular heartbeat; nausea or vomiting (severe); overactive r
eflexes; restlessness; trembling or shaking; tiredness, weakness, and mental depression following effects of excitement
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What is this Drug
Drugs of this class are thought to suppress appetite via a central mechanism (appetite centers in the brain) although this has mechanism has not been clearly proven. IONAMIN is the only medicine of th
is class that is set in resin. The resin allows the compound to be released slowly into the blood stream. Some patients prefer it because they believe it to be associated with fewer side effects, othe
rs do not.
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