Patient Leaflet Updated 16-Jan-2023 | Otsuka Pharmaceuticals (UK) Ltd
Abilify Orodispersible Tablets
Package leaflet: Information for the user
ABILIFY 10 mg orodispersible tablets
ABILIFY 15 mg orodispersible tablets
ABILIFY 30 mg orodispersible tablets
aripiprazole
Read all of this leaflet carefully before you start taking this medicine because it contains important information for you.
What is in this leaflet
1. What ABILIFY is and what it is used for
2. What you need to know before you take ABILIFY
3. How to take ABILIFY
4. Possible side effects
5 How to store ABILIFY
6. Contents of the pack and other information
1. What ABILIFY is and what it is used for
ABILIFY contains the active substance aripiprazole and belongs to a group of medicines called antipsychotics. It is used to treat adults and adolescents aged 15 years and older who suffer from a disease characterised by symptoms such as hearing, seeing or sensing things which are not there, suspiciousness, mistaken beliefs, incoherent speech and behaviour and emotional flatness. People with this condition may also feel depressed, guilty, anxious or tense.
ABILIFY is used to treat adults and adolescents aged 13 years and older who suffer from a condition with symptoms such as feeling “high”, having excessive amounts of energy, needing much less sleep than usual, talking very quickly with racing ideas and sometimes severe irritability. In adults it also prevents this condition from returning in patients who have responded to the treatment with ABILIFY.
2. What you need to know before you take ABILIFY
Do not take ABILIFY
Warnings and precautions
Talk to your doctor before taking ABILIFY.
Suicidal thoughts and behaviours have been reported during aripiprazole treatment. Tell your doctor immediately if you are having any thoughts or feelings about hurting yourself.
Before treatment with ABILIFY, tell your doctor if you suffer from
If you notice you are gaining weight, develop unusual movements, experience somnolence that interferes with normal daily activities, any difficulty in swallowing or allergic symptoms, please tell your doctor.
If you are an elderly patient suffering from dementia (loss of memory and other mental abilities), you or your carer/relative should tell your doctor if you have ever had a stroke or “mini” stroke.
Tell your doctor immediately if you are having any thoughts or feelings about hurting yourself.
Suicidal thoughts and behaviours have been reported during aripiprazole treatment.
Tell your doctor immediately if you suffer from muscle stiffness or inflexibility with high fever, sweating, altered mental status, or very rapid or irregular heartbeat.
Tell your doctor if you or your family/carer notices that you are developing urges or cravings to behave in ways that are unusual for you and you cannot resist the impulse, drive or temptation to carry out certain activities that could harm yourself or others. These are called impulse control disorders and can include behaviours such as addictive gambling, excessive eating or spending, an abnormally high sex drive or preoccupation with an increase in sexual thoughts or feelings.
Your doctor may need to adjust or stop your dose.
Aripiprazole may cause sleepiness, fall in blood pressure when standing up, dizziness and changes in your ability to move and balance, which may lead to falls. Caution should be taken, particularly if you are an elderly patient or have some debility.
Children and adolescents
Do not use this medicine in children and adolescents under 13 years of age. It is not known if it is safe and effective in these patients.
Other medicines and ABILIFY
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines, including medicines obtained without a prescription.
Blood pressure-lowering medicines: ABILIFY may increase the effect of medicines used to lower the blood pressure. Be sure to tell your doctor if you take a medicine to keep your blood pressure under control.
Taking ABILIFY with some medicines may mean the doctor will need to change your dose of ABILIFY or the other medicines. It is especially important to mention the following to your doctor:
These medicines may increase the risk of side effects or reduce the effect of ABILIFY; if you get any unusual symptom taking any of these medicines together with ABILIFY you should see your doctor.
Medicines that increase the level of serotonin are typically used in conditions including depression, generalised anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and social phobia as well as migraine and pain:
These medicines may increase the risk of side effects; if you get any unusual symptom taking any of these medicines together with ABILIFY, you should see your doctor.
ABILIFY with food, drink and alcohol
This medicine can be taken regardless of meals.
Alcohol should be avoided.
Pregnancy, breast-feeding and fertility
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor for advice before taking this medicine.
The following symptoms may occur in newborn babies, of mothers that have used ABILIFY in the last trimester (last three months of their pregnancy): shaking, muscle stiffness and/or weakness, sleepiness, agitation, breathing problems, and difficulty in feeding. If your baby develops any of these symptoms you may need to contact your doctor.
If you are taking ABILIFY, your doctor will discuss with you whether you should breast-feed considering the benefit to you of your therapy and the benefit to your baby of breast-feeding.
You should not do both. Talk to your doctor about the best way to feed your baby if you are taking this medicine.
Driving and using machines
Dizziness and vision problems may occur during treatment with this medicine (see section 4).
This should be considered in cases where full alertness is required, e.g., when driving a car or handling machines.
ABILIFY contains aspartame
ABILIFY 10 mg orodispersible tablets: This medicine contains 2 mg aspartame in each tablet.
ABILIFY 15 mg orodispersible tablets: This medicine contains 3 mg aspartame in each tablet.
ABILIFY 30 mg orodispersible tablets: This medicine contains 6 mg aspartame in each tablet.
Aspartame is a source of phenylalanine. It may be harmful if you have phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare genetic disorder in which phenylalanine builds up because the body cannot remove it properly.
ABILIFY contains lactose
If you have been told by your doctor that you have an intolerance to some sugars, contact your doctor before taking this medicine.
ABILIFY contains sodium
This medicine contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per tablet, that is to say essentially ‘sodium-free’.
3. How to take ABILIFY
Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
The recommended dose for adults is 15 mg once a day. However your doctor may prescribe a lower or higher dose to a maximum of 30 mg once a day.
Use in children and adolescents
This medicine may be started at a low dose with the oral solution (liquid) form.
The dose may be gradually increased to the recommended dose for adolescents of 10 mg once a day. However your doctor may prescribe a lower or higher dose to a maximum of 30 mg once a day.
If you have the impression that the effect of ABILIFY is too strong or too weak, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
Try to take ABILIFY at the same time each day. It does not matter whether you take it with or without food.
Do not open the blister until ready to administer. For single tablet removal, open the package and peel back the foil on the blister to expose the tablet. Do not push the tablet through the foil because this could damage the tablet. Immediately upon opening the blister, using dry hands, remove the tablet and place the entire orodispersible tablet on the tongue. Tablet disintegration occurs rapidly in saliva. The orodispersible tablet can be taken with or without liquid.
Alternatively, disperse the tablet in water and drink the resulting suspension.
Even if you feel better, do not alter or discontinue the daily dose of ABILIFY without first consulting your doctor.
If you take more ABILIFY than you should
If you realise you have taken more ABILIFY than your doctor has recommended (or if someone else has taken some of your ABILIFY), contact your doctor right away. If you cannot reach your doctor, go to the nearest hospital and take the pack with you.
Patients who have taken too much aripiprazole have experienced the following symptoms:
Other symptoms may include:
Contact your doctor or hospital immediately if you experience any of the above.
If you forget to take ABILIFY
If you miss a dose, take the missed dose as soon as you remember but do not take two doses in one day.
If you stop taking ABILIFY
Do not stop your treatment just because you feel better. It is important that you carry on taking ABILIFY for as long as your doctor has told you to.
If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
4. Possible side effects
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
Common side effects (may affect up to 1 in 10 people):
Uncommon side effects (may affect up to 1 in 100 people):
The following side effects have been reported since the marketing of oral aripiprazole but the frequency for them to occur is not known:
In elderly patients with dementia, more fatal cases have been reported while taking aripiprazole.
In addition, cases of stroke or “mini” stroke have been reported.
Additional side effects in children and adolescents
Adolescents aged 13 years and older experienced side effects that were similar in frequency and type to those in adults except that sleepiness, uncontrollable twitching or jerking movements, restlessness, and tiredness were very common (greater than 1 in 10 patients) and upper abdominal pain, dry mouth, increased heart rate, weight gain, increased appetite, muscle twitching, uncontrolled movements of the limbs, and feeling dizzy, especially when getting up from a lying or sitting position, were common (greater than 1 in 100 patients).
Reporting of side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store. By reporting side effects, you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
5. How to store ABILIFY
Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the blister and on the carton after EXP. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
Store in the original package in order to protect from moisture.
Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
6. Contents of the pack and other information
What ABILIFY contains
Tablet coat
ABILIFY 10 mg orodispersible tablets: Red iron oxide (E 172)
ABILIFY 15 mg orodispersible tablets: Yellow iron oxide (E 172)
ABILIFY 30 mg orodispersible tablets: Red iron oxide (E 172)
What ABILIFY looks like and contents of the pack
ABILIFY 10 mg orodispersible tablets are round and pink, marked with ‘“A” over “640”’ on one side and ‘10’ on the other.
ABILIFY 15 mg orodispersible tablets are round and yellow, marked with ‘“A” over “641”’ on one side and ‘15’ on the other.
ABILIFY 30 mg orodispersible tablets are round and pink, marked with ‘“A” over “643”’ on one side and ‘30’ on the other.
ABILIFY orodispersible tablets are supplied in perforated unit dose blisters packed in cartons containing 14 × 1, 28 × 1, or 49 × 1 orodispersible tablets.
Not all pack sizes may be marketed.
Marketing Authorisation Holder
Manufacturer
For any information about this medicine, please contact:
This leaflet was last revised in 06/2022
P-3121-02
2 Windsor Dials, Arthur Road, Windsor, SL4 1RS, UK
+44 (0)20 3747 5300
http://www.otsuka-europe.com
+44 (0)20 8848 0529