An increased incidence of fibro-osseous proliferative lesions occurred in the femurs of female mice treated for 2 years with 0.3, 2, or 10 mg/kg/day (0.3, 2.2, and 11 times the highest clinical dose on a mg/m2 basis). Lesions occurred at a lower rate in control animals. Similar lesions were not observed in male mice or rats and monkeys of either sex that were treated chronically with pramipexole. The significance of this lesion to humans is not known.
Manufactured By:
BARR LABORATORIES, INC.
Pomona, NY 10970
Manufactured For:
TEVA PHARMACEUTICALS USA
Sellersville, PA 18960
Iss. 8/2009
PATIENT INFORMATION ABOUT PRAMIPEXOLE DIHYDROCHLORIDE TABLETS
Read the Patient Information that comes with pramipexole before you start taking it and each time you get a refill. There may be some new information. This leaflet does not take the place of talking with your doctor about your medical condition or your treatment.
What is the most important information I should know about pramipexole?
Pramipexole may cause you to fall asleep while you are doing daily activities such as driving, talking with other people, watching TV, or eating.
- Some people taking pramipexole have had car accidents because they fell asleep while driving.
- Some patients did not feel sleepy before they fell asleep while driving. You could fall asleep without any warning.
Do not drive a car, operate a machine, or do anything that needs you to be alert until you know how pramipexole affects you.
Tell your doctor right away if you fall asleep while you are doing activities such as talking with people, watching TV, eating, or driving, or if you feel sleepier than is normal for you.
What is pramipexole?
Pramipexole is a prescription medicine to treat
- signs and symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
Pramipexole has not been studied in children.
Who should not take pramipexole?
Do not take pramipexole if you are allergic to pramipexole or any of the inactive ingredients of pramipexole. See the end of this leaflet for a complete list of ingredients in pramipexole.
What should I tell my doctor before taking pramipexole?
Tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, including if you
- feel sleepy during the day from a sleep problem.
- have low blood pressure, or if you feel dizzy or faint, especially when getting up from a lying or sitting position.
- have trouble controlling your muscles (dyskinesia).
- have kidney problems.
- are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if pramipexole will harm your unborn baby.
- are breast-feeding. It is not known if pramipexole will pass into your breast milk. You and your doctor should decide if you will take pramipexole or breast-feed. You should not do both.
- drink alcohol. Alcohol can increase the chance that pramipexole will make you feel sleepy or fall asleep when you should be awake.
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take any other medicines that make you sleepy. Pramipexole and other medicines may interact with each other causing side effects. Pramipexole may affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may affect how pramipexole works.
How should I take pramipexole?
- Take pramipexole exactly as your doctor tells you to. Your doctor will tell you how many pramipexole tablets to take and when to take them.
- Your doctor may change your dose until you are taking the right amount of medicine to control your symptoms. Do not take more or less pramipexole than your doctor tells you to.
- Pramipexole can be taken with or without food. Taking pramipexole with food may lower your chances of getting nausea.
- If you miss a dose, do not double your next dose. Skip the dose you missed and take your next regular dose.
- Be sure to tell your doctor right away if you stop taking pramipexole for any reason. Do not start taking pramipexole again before speaking with your doctor. If you have Parkinson’s disease and are stopping pramipexole, you should stop pramipexole slowly over 7 days.
What should I avoid while taking pramipexole?
- Do not drive a car, operate a machine, or do anything that needs you to be alert until you know how pramipexole affects you. See “What is the most important information I should know about pramipexole?” at the beginning of this leaflet.
- Do not drink alcohol while taking pramipexole. It can increase your chances of feeling sleepy or falling asleep when you should be awake.
What are the possible side effects of pramipexole?
Pramipexole can cause serious side effects, including
- falling asleep during normal daily activities. See “What is the most important information I should know about pramipexole?”
- low blood pressure when you sit or stand up quickly. You may have dizziness, nausea, fainting, or sweating. Sit and stand up slowly after you have been sitting or lying down for awhile.
- hallucinations. You may see, hear, feel, or taste something that isn’t there. You have a higher chance of having hallucinations if you are over 65 years old.
The most common side effects in people taking pramipexole for Parkinson’s disease are nausea, dizziness, sleepiness, constipation, hallucinations, insomnia, muscle weakness, confusion, and abnormal movements.
These are not all the possible side effects of pramipexole. For more information ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Be sure to talk to your doctor about any side effects that bother you or that do not go away.
Other Information about pramipexole
Studies of people with Parkinson’s disease show that they may be at an increased risk of developing melanoma, a form of skin cancer, when compared to people without Parkinson’s disease. It is not known if this problem is associated with Parkinson’s disease or the medicines used to treat Parkinson’s disease. Pramipexole is one of the medicines used to treat Parkinson’s disease, therefore, patients being treated with pramipexole should have periodic skin examinations.
There have been reports of patients taking certain medicines to treat Parkinson’s disease, including pramipexole, that have reported problems with gambling, compulsive eating, and increased sex drive. It is not possible to reliably estimate how often these behaviors occur or to determine which factors may contribute to them. If you or your family members notice that you are developing unusual behaviors, talk to your doctor.
How should I store pramipexole?
- Store at 20° to 25° C (68° to 77° F) [See USP Controlled Room Temperature].
- Protect from light.
- Keep pramipexole and all medicines out of the reach of children.
General information about pramipexole
Medicines are sometimes prescribed for purposes other than those listed in this Patient Information Leaflet. Do not take pramipexole for a condition for which it was not prescribed. Do not share pramipexole with other people, even if they have the same symptoms you do. It may harm them.
This Patient Information Leaflet summarizes the most important information about pramipexole. For more information, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. They can give you information about pramipexole that is written for health care professionals.
What are the ingredients in pramipexole?
Active Ingredient: pramipexole dihydrochloride monohydrate
Inactive Ingredients: corn starch, hydrogenated vegetable oil, mannitol, povidone and pregelatinized corn starch.
Manufactured By:
BARR LABORATORIES, INC.
Pomona, NY 10970
Manufactured For:
TEVA PHARMACEUTICALS USA
Sellersville, PA 18960
Iss. 8/2009