Amisulpride

About amisulpride

What is amisulpride used for?

Amisulpride is a type of antipsicotico used to treat schizophrenia. These medicines work on the balance of chemical substances in the brain.

You will have been prescribed amisulpride to relieve the symptoms of schizofrenia, a mental health problem which affects your thoughts, feelings or behaviours.

Symptoms of schizophrenia include hearing, seeing or sensing things that are not real, having mistaken beliefs, and feeling unusually suspicious. Amisulpride will help to ease these symptoms.

Side effects of amisulpride

The most common side effects of amisulpride are:

• Sensazione di tremore o irrequietezza.

• Sensazione di vertigini o sonnolenza.

• Feeling light-headed when you stand up.

• Bocca secca.

• Nausea.

• Essere malato (vomito).

• Costipazione.

• Unusual muscle movements.

You may also experience other side effects including:

• Aumento di peso.

• Difficoltà a dormire.

• Sentirsi ansiosi o agitati.

• Changes in sexual ability.

• Breast pain.

• Breast enlargement in men.

• Abnormal production of breast milk.

• Menstrual problems.

• Producing more saliva than usual.

Troverai un elenco completo nel foglietto illustrativo del produttore fornito con il tuo medicinale. Gli effetti indesiderati spesso migliorano man mano che il tuo corpo si adatta al nuovo medicinale, ma parla con il tuo medico o farmacista se uno dei seguenti persiste o diventa problematico.

How to manage amisulpride side effects

Se si verificano altri sintomi che ritieni possano essere dovuti al medicinale, parla con il tuo medico o farmacista per ulteriori consigli.

Who should not take amisulpride?

Some medicines are not suitable for people with certain conditions, and sometimes a medicine may only be used if extra care is taken. For these reasons, before you start taking amisulpride it is important that your doctor knows:

• Se sei incinta o stai allattando.

• Se hai una malattia cardiaca o dei vasi sanguigni.

• Se hai problemi al fegato, ai reni o alla prostata.

• Se hai problemi con la respirazione.

• If you have any of the following: epilepsy, depression, Parkinson's disease, raised pressure in your eye (glaucoma) or myasthenia gravis - a condition which causes muscle weakness.

• Se hai mai avuto ingiallimento della pelle o del bianco degli occhi (ittero) o un disturbo del sangue.

• If you have a tumour on your adrenal gland (a condition called phaeochromocytoma), or if you have been told you have 'a prolactin-dependent tumour'.

• Se hai avuto una reazione allergica a un medicinale.

• Se stai assumendo o utilizzando altri medicinali. Questo include qualsiasi medicinale che stai assumendo e che è disponibile per l'acquisto senza prescrizione, così come i medicinali a base di erbe e complementari.

How to take amisulpride

• Read the manufacturer's printed information leaflet from inside the pack. It will give you more information about amisulpride and it will also provide you with a full list of the side effects which you may experience from taking it.

• Your dose will be adjusted to suit your condition so take amisulpride exactly as your doctor tells you to. It is usual to be prescribed two doses to take each day (in the morning and evening), although lower doses can be taken just once a day.

  • Your dose will be printed on the label of your pack to remind you about what the doctor said to you.

• Try to get into the habit of taking your doses at the same times each day, as this will help you avoid missing any. If possible, take your doses before a meal.

• If you have been given tablets, these are best swallowed with a drink of water. If you have any difficulties swallowing, let your doctor know so that you can be prescribed a liquid medicine instead.

• If you have been given liquid medicine, make sure you understand how to use the dose syringe to measure out your doses. Some syringes measure out the dose in milligrams (mg), others in millilitres (ml).

  • Put the measuring syringe into the bottle and draw back the plunger of the syringe to the graduation mark equal to the amount of solution that corresponds to your dose.

• Swallow the liquid solution with a non-alcoholic drink. If you are in any way unsure about measuring out your dose using the syringe, you can ask your local pharmacist to show you what to do.

• Se dimentichi di prendere una dose, prendila appena te ne ricordi, a meno che non sia quasi ora della dose successiva, in tal caso salta la dose dimenticata. Non prendere due dosi insieme per compensare una dose dimenticata.

Ottenere il massimo dal tuo trattamento

• You will need to have some tests from time to time as your treatment will require careful monitoring to make sure that you get the best possible benefit from amisulpride.

  • Remember to keep your regular doctor's appointments so that your progress can be checked.

• Treatment with amisulpride is usually long-term unless you experience an adverse effect. Keep taking it unless your doctor tells you otherwise.

  • Stopping amisulpride suddenly can cause problems so your doctor may want you to reduce your dose gradually if this becomes necessary.

• If you drink alcohol, ask your doctor for advice about drinking while you are on amisulpride. Alcohol increases the risk of side effects so it is generally best avoided.

• If you have diabetes you may need to check your blood glucose more frequently, as amisulpride may affect the levels of sugar in your blood. Your doctor will advise you about this.

• Some medicines similar to amisulpride can cause the skin to become more sensitive to sunlight than normal. It may be advisable to use a sunscreen in bright sunlight until you know how your skin reacts.

• If you are having an operation, tell the person carrying out the treatment which medicines you are taking. This is important because amisulpride may interfere with any anaesthetic you receive.

• If you buy or take any 'over-the-counter' medicines, check with a pharmacist that they are suitable for you to take with amisulpride.

How to store amisulpride

• Tenere tutti i medicinali fuori dalla portata e dalla vista dei bambini.

• Conservare in un luogo fresco e asciutto, lontano da fonti di calore e luce diretta.

• Check the expiry date on the bottle. Do not use any medicine beyond its expiry date.

Informazioni importanti su tutti i medicinali

Domande frequenti

Is amisulpride a mood stabiliser?

Amisulpride is not classed as a mood stabiliser. It is an antipsychotic medicine, mainly used to treat symptoms of schizophrenia and sometimes depression at lower doses

How quickly does amisulpride work?

Amisulpride does not work immediately. Some symptoms may improve in a few days, but it usually takes several weeks to feel the full effect. Your doctor will check your progress after a few weeks.