Solian (Amisulpride)

Taking this medicine

• Take this medicine by mouth
• Swallow the tablets whole with a drink of water. Do not chew your tablets
• Take before a meal
• If you feel the effect of your medicine is too weak or too strong, do not change the dose yourself, but ask your doctor

How much to take

The amount of Solian you take will depend on your illness. Follow your doctor’s instructions carefully.

Adults

• The usual dose is between 50mg and 800mg each day
• Your doctor may start you on a lower dose if necessary
• If necessary your doctor can prescribe up to 1200mg each day
• Doses up to 300mg each day can be taken as a single dose. Take the dose at the same time each day
• Doses above 300mg should be taken as half in the morning and half in the evening

Elderly

• Your doctor will need to keep a close check on you as you are more likely to have low blood pressure or sleepiness due to this medicine

People with kidney problems

• Your doctor may need to give you a lower dose

Chidren under 18 years of age

Solian should not be given to children under 18 years of age

If you take more Solian than you should

If you take more tablets than you should, tell a doctor or go to a hospital casualty department straight away. Take the medicine pack with you. This is so the doctor knows what you have taken. The following effects may happen: feeling restless or shaky, rigid muscles, feeling drowsy or sleepy which could lead to a loss of consciousness.

If you forget to take Solian

If you forget a dose, take it as soon as you remember it. However, if it is nearly time for the next dose, skip the missed dose. Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose.

If you stop taking Solian

Keep taking Solian until your doctor tells you to stop. Do not stop taking Solian just because you feel better. If you stop, your illness may get worse or come back. Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, Solian should not be stopped suddenly.

Stopping treatment suddenly may cause withdrawal effects such as:

• Feeling or being sick
• Sweating
• Difficulty sleeping or feeling very restless
• Muscle stiffness or unusual body movements
• Your original condition may come back

ery Common (affects more than 1 in 10 people)

• Trembling, muscle stiffness or spasm, slow movement, producing more saliva than usual or feeling restless.

Common (affects less than 1 in 10 people)

• Movements that you cannot control, mainly of the arms and legs

(These symptoms can be reduced if your doctor lowers your dose of Solian or prescribes an additional medicine)

Uncommon (affects less than 1 in 100 people)

• Movements that you cannot control, mainly of the face or tongue

Other side effects include:

Common (affects less than 1 in 10 people)

• Difficulty sleeping (insomnia) or feeling anxious or agitated
• Feeling drowsy or sleepy
• Constipation, feeling or being sick, dry mouth
• Putting on weight
• Unusual production of breast milk in women and men, breast pain
• Menstrual period stops
• Breast enlargement in men
• Difficulty in getting or maintaining an erection, or in ejaculating
• Feeling dizzy (which can be due to low blood pressure)

Uncommon (affects less than 1 in 100 people)

• Slowing of the heart beat
• High blood sugar (hyperglycaemia)

Not known (frequency cannot be estimated from the available data)

• Feeling confused
• High levels of fat (triglycerides) or cholesterol in the blood
• Blurred vision
• Tired, weak, confused, have muscles that ache, are still or do not work well. This may be due to low sodium levels in your blood
• Feeling unwell, confused or weak, feeling sick (nausea), loss of appetite, feeling irritable. This could be an illness called syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH)
• Noncancerous benign tumour (such as prolactinoma)
• A condition called 'osteoporosis'. This is when your bones are more likely to break
• Nasal congestion

Do not take this medicine and tell your doctor if:

• You are allergic (hypersensitive) to amisulpride or any of the other ingredients of Solian (listed in Section 6)
  Signs of an allergic reaction include: a rash, swallowing or breathing problems, swelling of your lips, face, throat or tongue
• You are pregnant, might become pregnant or are breast-feeding (see ‘Pregnancy and breast-feeding’ section)
• You have breast cancer or something called ‘a prolactin dependent tumour’
• You have a tumour on the adrenal gland (called phaeochromocytoma)
• You are taking levodopa, a medicine to treat Parkinson’s disease (see ‘Taking other medicines’ section)
• You have been diagnosed with a pituitary tumour
• The patient is under 18 years old

Do not take this medicine if any of the above apply to you. If you are not sure, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Solian.

Take special care with Solian

Check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking your medicine if:

• You have kidney problems
• You have Parkinson’s disease
• You have ever had fits (epileptic seizures)
• You have an unusual heart rate (rhythm)
• You have heart disease or family history of heart problems
• Your doctor has told you that you might have a stroke
• If you or someone else in your family has a history of blood clots, as medicines like these have been associated with formation of blood clots
• You are diabetic or have been told you have an increased risk of having diabetes
• You have a slow heart beat (less than 55 beats per minute)
• You have been told you have a low amount of potassium in your blood.
• You are elderly. This is because elderly people would be more likely to get low blood pressure or feel sleepy. A small increase in the number of deaths of elderly people with dementia has been reported for patients taking antipsychotics compared to those not receiving antipsychotics.
• You have a low number of white blood cells (agranulocytosis). This means you may get infections more easily than usual
• You have frequent infections such as fever, severe chills, sore throat or mouth ulcers. These could be signs of a blood problem called ‘leukopenia’
• You or someone else in your family has a history of breast cancer
• You have high levels of prolactin

If you are not sure if any of the above apply to you, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Solian.