Advise the patient to read the FDA-approved patient labeling (Medication Guide).
Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors: Advise patients and caregivers to look for the emergence of suicidality, especially early during treatment and when the dosage is adjusted up or down, and instruct them to report such symptoms to the healthcare provider [see and Warnings and Precautions (5.1)].
Agranulocytosis: Advise patients to contact their physician if they experience fever, chills, sore throat, mucous membrane ulceration, flu-like complaints, or other symptoms that might suggest infection [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2)].
Serotonin Syndrome: Caution patients about the risk of serotonin syndrome, particularly with the concomitant use of mirtazapine tablets with other serotonergic drugs including triptans, tricyclic antidepressants, fentanyl, lithium, tramadol, tryptophan, buspirone, amphetamines, St. John’s Wort, and with drugs that impair metabolism of serotonin (in particular, MAOIs, both those intended to treat psychiatric disorders and also others, such as linezolid). Advise patients to contact their healthcare provider or report to the emergency room if they experience signs or symptoms of serotonin syndrome [see Dosage and Administration (2.4), Contraindications (4), Warnings and Precautions (5.3), Drug Interactions (7)].
QT Prolongation and Torsades de Pointes: Inform patients to consult their physician immediately if they feel faint, lose consciousness, or have heart palpitations [see Warnings and Precautions (5.5), Drug Interactions (7), Overdosage (10)]. Advise patients to inform physicians that they are taking mirtazapine tablets before any new drug is taken.
Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS): Advise patients to report to their healthcare provider at the earliest onset of fever, rash, swollen lymph nodes, or other signs and symptoms suggestive of Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS) [see Contraindications (4), Warnings and Precautions (5.6)].
Somnolence: Advise patients that mirtazapine tablets may impair judgment, thinking, and particularly, motor skills, because of its prominent sedative effect. Caution patients about performing activities requiring mental alertness, such as operating hazardous machinery or operating a motor vehicle, until they are reasonably certain that mirtazapine tablets therapy does not adversely affect their ability to engage in such activities [see Warnings and Precautions (5.8)].
Alcohol: Advise patients to avoid alcohol while taking mirtazapine tablets [see Warnings and Precautions (5.8), Drug Interactions (7)].
Activation of Mania/Hypomania: Advise patients and their caregivers to observe for signs of activation of mania/hypomania and instruct them to report such symptoms to the healthcare provider [see Warnings and Precautions (5.9)].
Discontinuation Syndrome: Advise patients not to abruptly discontinue mirtazapine tablets and to discuss any tapering regimen with their healthcare provider. Adverse reactions can occur when mirtazapine tablets are discontinued [see Dosage and Administration (2.6), Warnings and Precautions (5.14)].
Allergic Reactions: Advise patients to notify their healthcare provider if they develop an allergic reaction such as rash, hives, swelling, or difficulty breathing [see Contraindications (4), Adverse Reactions (6.2)].
Pregnancy:
- Advise patients to notify their physician if they become pregnant or intend to become pregnant during mirtazapine tablets therapy.
- Advise patients that there is a pregnancy exposure registry that monitors pregnancy outcomes in women exposed to mirtazapine tablets during pregnancy [see Use in Specific Populations (8.1)].
Lactation: Advise patients to notify their physician if they are breastfeeding an infant [see Use in Specific Populations (8.2)].
Angle-Closure Glaucoma: Patients should be advised that taking mirtazapine can cause mild pupillary dilation, which in susceptible individuals, can lead to an episode of angle-closure glaucoma. Pre-existing glaucoma is almost always open-angle glaucoma because angle-closure glaucoma, when diagnosed, can be treated definitively with iridectomy. Open-angle glaucoma is not a risk factor for angle-closure glaucoma. Patients may wish to be examined to determine whether they are susceptible to angle-closure, and have a prophylactic procedure (e.g., iridectomy), if they are susceptible [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4)].