Piportil Depot 50 Mg/Ml
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Summary of Product Characteristics 1. NAME OF THE MEDICINAL PRODUCT Piportil Depot 50 mg/ml. 2. QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE COMPOSITION Pipotiazine palmitate 50 mg/ml. For full list of excipients, see section 6.1. 3. PHARMACEUTICAL FORM Depot injection. 4. CLINICAL PARTICULARS 4.1 Therapeutic Indications For the maintenance treatment of schizophrenia and paranoid psychoses and prevention of relapse, especially where compliance with oral medication is a problem 4.2 Posology and method of administration Patients should be stabilised on Piportil Depot under psychiatric supervision. Administration should be by deep intramuscular injection into the gluteal region. Wide variation of response can be expected. The following dosage recommendations are suitable for either indication. Adults: Initially 25mg should be given to assess the response of the patient to the drug. Further doses should be administered at appropriate intervals, increasing by increments of 25 or 50 mg until a satisfactory response is obtained. In clinical practice, Piportil Depot has been shown to have a long duration of action, allowing intervals of 4 weeks between injections for maintenance therapy. Dosage should be adjusted under close supervision to suit each individual patient in order to obtain the best therapeutic response compatible with tolerance. The duration of action depends on the dose administered, allowing dosage intervals to be varied to suit individual circumstances. Most patients respond favourably to a dose of 50-100 mg every 4 weeks, the maximum recommended dose is 200 mg every four weeks. Elderly : Neuroleptics should be used cautiously in the elderly: A reduced starting dose is recommended, ie 5-10 mg might be considered. Children: Not recommended for use in children. 4.3 Contraindications Piportil Depot should not be administered to patients in a comatose state or with marked cerebral atherosclerosis, phaeochromocytoma, renal or liver failure, severe cardiac insufficiency or hypersensitivity to other phenothiazine derivatives. 4.4 Special warnings and precautions for use Piportil Depot should be used with caution in patients suffering from or who have a history of, the following conditions: severe respiratory disease, epilepsy, alcohol withdrawal symptoms, brain damage, Parkinson's disease or marked extrapyramidal symptoms with previously used neuroleptics, personal or family history of narrow angle glaucoma, hypothyroidism, myasthenia gravis, prostatic hypertrophy, thyrotoxicosis. Care is required in very hot or very cold weather particularly in elderly frail patients. Neuroleptic phenothiazines may potentiate QT interval prolongation which increases the risk of onset of serious ventricular arrhythmias of the torsade de pointes type, which is potentially fatal (sudden death). QT prolongation is exacerbated, in particular, in the presence of bradycardia, hypokalaemia, and congenital or acquired (i.e. drug induced) QT prolongation. The risk-benefit should be fully assessed before Piportil treatment is commenced. If the clinical situation permits, medical and laboratory evaluations (e.g. biochemical status and ECG) should be performed to rule out possible risk factors (e.g. cardiac disease; family history of QT prolongation; metabolic abnormalities such as hypokalaemia, hypocalcaemia or hypomagnesaemia; starvation; alcohol abuse; concomitant therapy with other drugs known to prolong the QT interval) before initiating treatment with Piportil and during the initial phase of treatment, or as deemed necessary during the treatment (see also sections 4.5 and 4.8). Avoid concomitant treatment with other neuroleptics (see section 4.5). Stroke: In randomised clinical trials versus placebo performed in a population of elderly patients with dementia and treated with certain atypical antipsychotic drugs, a 3-fold increase of the risk of cerebrovascular events has been observed. The mechanism of such risk increase is not known. An increase in the risk with other antipsychotic drugs or other populations of patients cannot be excluded. Piportil should be used with caution in patients with stroke risk factors. Acute withdrawal symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, sweating, and insomnia have been described after abrupt cessation of antipsychotic drugs. Recurrence of psychotic symptoms may also occur, and the emergence of involuntary movement disorders (such as akathisia, dystonia and dyskinesia) has been reported. Therefore, gradual withdrawal is advisable. Hyperglycaemia or intolerance to glucose has been reported in patients treated with antipsychotic phenothiazines. Patients with an established diagnosis of diabetes mellitus or with risk factors for the development of diabetes who are started on Piportil, should get appropriate glycaemic monitoring during treatment (see section 4.8). Increased Mortality in Elderly people with Dementia Data from two large observational studies showed that elderly people with dementia who are treated with antipsychotics are at a small increased risk of death compared with those who are not treated. There are insufficient data to give a firm estimate of the precise magnitude of the risk and the cause of the increased risk is not known. Piportil Depot is not licensed for the treatment of dementia-related behavioural disturbances. Cases of venous thromboembolism (VTE) have been reported with antipsychotic drugs. Since patients treated with antipsychotics often present with acquired risk factors for VTE, all possible risk factors for VTE should be identified before and during treatment with Piportil Depot and preventive measures taken. 4.5 Interaction With Other Medicaments and Other Forms of Interaction There is an increased risk of arrhythmias when antipsychotics are used with concomitant QT prolonging drugs (including certain antiarrhythmics, antidepressants and other antipsychotics) and drugs causing electrolyte imbalance The CNS depressant actions of neuroleptic agents may be intensified (additively) by alcohol, barbiturates and other sedatives. Respiratory depression may occur. The hypotensive effect of most antihypertensive drugs especially alpha adrenoceptor blocking agents may be exaggerated by neuroleptics. This effect may also be observed with anaesthetics and opioid analgesics. The mild anticholinergic effect of neuroleptics may be enhanced by other anticholinergic drugs possibly leading to constipation, heat stroke, etc. The action of some drugs may be opposed by phenothiazine neuroleptics; these include amfetamine, levodopa, apomorphine, lisuride, pergolide, bromocriptine, cabergoline, clonidine, guanethidine, adrenaline. Some drugs may possibly enhance the effects of phenothiazines including cimetidine. Anticholinergic agents may reduce the antipsychotic effect of neuroleptics. Some drugs interfere with absorption of neuroleptic agents: antacids, kaolin, anti-Parkinson drugs, lithium. Increases or decreases in the plasma concentrations of a number of drugs, e.g. propranolol, phenobarbital have been observed but were not of clinical significance. Concomitant use with ritonavir may possibly increase the plasma concentration of the antipsychotic. High doses of neuroleptics reduce the response to hypoglycaemic agents, the dosage of which might have to be raised. There is an increased risk of extrapyramidal effects with tetrabenazine and lithium, and an increased possibility of neurotoxicity with lithium. Sibutramine can lead to an increased risk of CNS toxicity. Adrenaline must not be used in patients overdosed with phenothiazine neuroleptics. Most of the above interactions are of a theoretical nature and not dangerous. Simultaneous administration of desferrioxamine and prochlorperazine has been observed to induce a transient metabolic encephalopathy characterised by loss of consciousness for 48--72 hours. It is possible that this may occur with Piportil since it shares many of the pharmacological properties of prochlorperazine. Avoid concomitant use of Clozapine with depot formulation as it cannot be withdrawn quickly if neutropenia occurs. 4.6 Pregnancy and Lactation There is inadequate evidence of safety of Piportil Depot in human pregnancy, although animal studies have shown no hazard. The drug should not be used during pregnancy or lactation unless the physician considers it essential. 4.7 Effects on Ability to Drive and Use Machines Patients should be warned about drowsiness especially at the start of treatment and advised not to drive or operate machinery. 4.8 Undesirable Effects Minor side effects of neuroleptics are drowsiness, especially at the start of treatment, nasal stuffiness, dry mouth, insomnia, agitation and weight gain. Other possible adverse effects are as follows:- Liver function: jaundice, usually transient, occurs in a very small percentage of patients taking neuroleptics. A premonitory sign may be a sudden onset of fever after one to three weeks of treatment followed by the development of jaundice. Neuroleptic jaundice has the biochemical and other characteristics of obstructive jaundice and is associated with obstructions of the canaliculi by bile thrombi: the frequent presence of an accompanying eosinophilia indicates the allergic nature of this phenomenon. Treatment should be withheld on the development of jaundice. Cardiorespiratory: hypotension, usually postural, commonly occurs. Elderly or volume depleted subjects are particularly susceptible: it is more likely to occur after intramuscular administration. Cardiac arrhythmias, including atrial arrhythmia, A - V block, ventricular