Milnacipran

Milnacipran is used to treat fibromyalgia (a long-lasting condition that may cause pain, muscle stiffness and tenderness, tiredness, and difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep). Milnacipran is in a class of medications called selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). It works by increasing the amount of serotonin and norepinephrine, natural substances that help stop the movement of pain signals in the brain.

Milnacipran comes as a tablet to be taken by mouth. It is usually taken two times a day. Milnacipran may be taken with or without food, but taking it with food will decrease the chance that milnacipran will upset your stomach. Take milnacipran at around the same times every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take milnacipran exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor. Your doctor will start you on a low dose of milnacipran and gradually increase your dose during the first week of treatment. Milnacipran may help control the symptoms of fibromyalgia, but will not cure it. Do not stop taking milnacipran without talking to your doctor. If you suddenly stop taking milnacipran, you may experience withdrawal symptoms such as mood changes, irritability, agitation, dizziness, numbness or tingling in the hands or feet, anxiety, confusion, headache, tiredness, difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, ringing in the ears, abnormal excitement, or seizures. Your doctor will probably decrease your dose gradually.

<p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p>Milnacipran may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

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nausea</li>
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vomiting</li>
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constipation</li>
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stomach pain</li>
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weight loss</li>
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dry mouth</li>
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feeling of extreme facial warmth and/or redness </li>
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increased sweating</li>
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headache</li>
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dizziness</li>
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blurred vision</li>
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difficulty falling or staying asleep</li>
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decreased sexual desire or ability</li>
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pain or swelling of the testicles</li>
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difficulty urinating</li>
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rash</li>
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itching</li></ul></p> <p></p> <p>Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of these symptoms call your doctor immediately:

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hallucinations (seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist)</li>
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confusion</li>
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difficulty concentrating</li>
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memory problems</li>
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weakness</li>
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unsteady walking that may cause falling</li>
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seizures</li>
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fainting</li>
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coma (loss of consciousness for a period of time)</li>
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slowed or stopped breathing</li>
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fast or pounding heartbeat</li>
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difficulty breathing</li>
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extreme tiredness</li>
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lack of energy</li>
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loss of appetite</li>
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pain in the upper right part of the stomach</li>
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yellowing of the skin or eyes</li>
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flu-like symptoms</li>
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black and tarry stools</li>
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red blood in stools</li>
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bloody vomit</li>
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vomit that looks like coffee grounds</li>
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unusual bleeding or bruising</li>
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nosebleeds</li>
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tiny red spots directly under the skin</li></ul>Milnacipran may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while you are taking this medication.If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor may send a report to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online [at <a href='http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch'>http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch</a>] or by phone [1-800-332-1088].</p>

Before taking milnacipran, tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to milnacipran, aspirin, any other medications, or tartrazine (FD&C Yellow No 5). tell your doctor if you are taking a monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam, Zelapar), and tranylcypromine (Parnate), or if you have stopped taking an MAO inhibitor within the past 14 days. Your doctor will probably tell you not to take milnacipran. If you stop taking milnacipran, you should wait at least 5 days before you start to take an MAO inhibitor. tell your doctor and pharmacist what other prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, or herbal products you are taking or plan to take. Be sure to mention any of the following: anticoagulants ('blood thinners') such as warfarin (Coumadin); and other antidepressants; aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn); clonidine (Catapres); clomipramine (Anafranil); digoxin (Lanoxicaps, Digitek, Lanoxin); diuretics ('water pills'); duloxetine (Cymbalta); epinephrine (Epipen, Primatene Mist); lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid); medications for anxiety, mental illness, pain, or seizures; medications for migraine headaches such as almotriptan (Axert), eletriptan (Relpax), frovatriptan (Frova), naratriptan (Amerge), rizatriptan (Maxalt), sumatriptan (Imitrex), and zolmitriptan (Zomig); sedatives; selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil), and sertraline (Zoloft); sleeping pills, tramadol, tranquilizers, and venlafaxine (Effexor). Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects. tell your doctor what nutritional supplements you are taking, especially tryptophan or 5-HTP. tell your doctor if you have glaucoma (increased pressure in the eye that may lead to vision loss). Your doctor will probably tell you not to take milnacipran. tell your doctor if you drink or have ever drunk large amounts of alcohol and if you have or have ever had high blood pressure; seizures; an irregular heartbeat; an enlarged or inflamed prostate (a male reproductive gland); difficulty urinating; or heart, kidney, or liver disease. . if you are having surgery, including dental surgery, tell the doctor or dentist that you are taking milnacipran. you should know that milnacipran may make you drowsy. Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how this medication affects you. talk to your doctor about the safe use of alcoholic beverages while you are taking milnacipran.

In case of overdose, call your local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222. If the victim has collapsed or is not breathing, call local emergency services at 911. Symptoms of overdose may include:

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extreme sleepiness</li>
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confusion</li>
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dizziness</li>
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coma (loss of consciousness for a period of time)</li>
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slowed or stopped heartbeat and breathing</li></ul>