GUANFACINE

(GWAHN fa seen) Brand: Intuniv, Tenex

What is the most significant information I must know about guanfacine?

• You must not use this medicine if you are allergic to guanfacine.

• Till you take guanfacine, speak your doctor if you have heart malady, heart block, coronary artery malady or a history of stroke, low blood pressure, kidney or liver malady, or if you have recently had a heart attack.

• Guanfacine may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be alert.

• Avoid becoming overheated or dehydrated during exercice and in hot weather. Avoid drinking alcohol.

• To be certain this medicine is helping your condition and not causing deleterious effects, your doctor will need to check your progress on a regular basis. Your blood pressure and heart course may also need to be checked. Do not miss any` follow-up visits to your doctor.

• If you are being treated for tall blood pressure, hold using this medicine even if you feel beautiful. Tall blood pressure often has no symptoms. You may need to use blood pressure medicine for the rest of your life.

• Speak your doctor if you regularly use another medicines that create you sleepy. They can add to sleepiness caused by guanfacine.

What is guanfacine?

• Guanfacine reduces nerve impulses in your heart and blood vessels. Guanfacine works by relaxing blood vessels, which lowers blood pressure and improves blood flow.

• Guanfacine is used to treat tall blood pressure (hypertension). It is sometimes given together with another blood pressure medications.

• Guanfacine is also used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity mess (ADHD) in children who are at least 6 years old.

• Guanfacine may also be used for purposes not listed in this medicine guide.

What must I discuss with my healthcare provider till taking guanfacine?

• You must not use this medicine if you are allergic to guanfacine.

• To create certain you can safely take guanfacine, speak your doctor if you have any of these another conditions:

· heart malady or heart block;

· coronary artery malady or a history of stroke;

· low blood pressure;

· kidney disease;

· liver malady; or

· if you have recently had a heart attack.

• FDA pregnancy category B. This medicine is not expected to be deleterious to an unborn child. Speak your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.

• It is not known whether guanfacine passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing child. Do not use this medicine without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

How must I take guanfacine?

• Take exactly as predesigned by your doctor. Do not take in larger or less amounts or for longer than recommended. Follow the directions on your prescription label.

• Your doctor may occasionally change your doze to create certain you get the excellent results.

• If you take Intuniv to treat ADHD, take your doze in the morning.

• If you take Tenex to treat hypertension, you may need to take your doze at bedtime if guanfacine causes severe drowsiness. Follow your doctor's instructions.

• Do not crush, chew, or interrupt an Intuniv extended-release tablet. Swallow the pill intact. Breaking the pill may reason too many of the drug to be released at one time.

• If there are any changes in the brand, power, or type of guanfacine you use, your dosage needs may change. Always check your refills to create certain you have received the correct brand and type of medication predesigned by your doctor. Ask the pharmacist if you have any questions about the medication you receive at the pharmacy.

• Do not stop taking this medicine without first talking to your doctor. If you stop taking guanfacine suddenly, your condition may become worse and you could have unpleasant symptoms.

• Store at room temperature away from moisture, heat, and light.

What happens if I miss a dose?

• Take the missed doze as soon as you remember. Skip the missed doze if it is nearly time for your following scheduled doze. Do not take extra medication to create up the missed dose.

• Call your doctor for instructions if you miss more than 2 doses in a row.

What happens if I overdose?

• Search abnormal medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222.

• Overdose symptoms may include drowsiness, dizziness, slow heart course, or feeling like you might pass out.

What must I avoid while taking guanfacine?

• Avoid taking guanfacine with a high-fat meal.

• Guanfacine may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be alert.

• Avoid becoming overheated or dehydrated during exercice and in hot weather while you are taking guanfacine.

• Drinking alcohol can magnify determined side effects of guanfacine.

What are the possible side effects of guanfacine?

• Get abnormal medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your person, lips, tongue, or throat.

• Call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect such as:

· quick or slow heart rate;

· pounding heartbeats, chest tightness;

· numbness or tingling; or

· feeling like you might pass out.

• Smaller serious side effects may include:

· drowsiness, dizziness, weary feeling;

· dry mouth;

· constipation;

· stomach pain;

· weight gain;

· headache; or

· feeling irritable.

• This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may message side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

What another drugs will affect guanfacine?

• Till you take guanfacine, speak your doctor if you regularly use another medicines that create you sleepy (such as cool or allergy medication, sedatives, narcotic pain medication, sleeping pills, muscle relaxers, and medication for seizures, depression, anxiety, or psychiatric disorders). They can add to sleepiness caused by guanfacine.

• Speak your doctor about all another medications you use, especially any another blood pressure medications, or:

· bosentan (Tracleer);

· conivaptan (Vaprisol);

· dexamethasone (Decadron, Hexadrol);

· diclofenac (Arthrotec, Cataflam, Voltaren, Flector Patch, Solareze);

· St. John's wort;

· imatinib (Gleevec);

· isoniazid (for treating tuberculosis);

· valproic acid (Depakene, Stavzor);

· an antibiotic such as clarithromycin (Biaxin), dalfopristin/quinupristin (Synercid), erythromycin (E.E.S., EryPed, Ery-Tab, Erythrocin), rifampin (Rifadin, Rifater, Rifamate), or telithromycin (Ketek);

· antifungal medicine such as clotrimazole (Mycelex Troche), itraconazole (Sporanox), ketoconazole (Nizoral), or voriconazole (Vfend);

· an antidepressant such as nefazodone;

· a barbiturate such as butabarbital (Butisol), secobarbital (Seconal), pentobarbital (Nembutal), or phenobarbital (Solfoton);

· a calcium channel blocker such as diltiazem (Cartia, Cardizem), felodipine (Plendil), nifedipine (Nifedical, Procardia), verapamil (Calan, Covera, Isoptin, Verelan), and others;

· HIV or AIDS medication such as atazanavir (Reyataz), delavirdine (Rescriptor), efavirenz (Sustiva), etravirine (Intelence), fosamprenavir (Lexiva), indinavir (Crixivan), nelfinavir (Viracept), nevirapine (Viramune), saquinavir (Invirase), or ritonavir (Norvir); or

· seizure medicine such as carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Tegretol), felbamate (Felbatol), oxcarbazepine (Trileptal), phenytoin (Dilantin), or primidone (Mysoline).

• This list is not complete and another drugs may interact with guanfacine. Speak your doctor about all medications you use. This includes prescription, over-the-counter, vitamin, and herbal commodity. Do not start a new medicine without telling your doctor.

Where can I get more information?

• Your pharmacist can provide more information about guanfacine.

Remember, hold this and all another medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medicine only for the indication prescribed.

Disclaim: Each effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses external of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way must be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safety, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the help of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

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