faverin
50 mg and 100 mg film-coated tablets
fluvoxamine maleate
Faverin treats depression and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Like all medicines it can have unwanted effects. It is therefore important that you and your doctor weigh up the benefits of treatment against the possible unwanted effects, before starting treatment.
Faverin should not be used to treat depression in children and adolescents under 18. See section 2, Use in Children and adolescents under 18.
Faverin won't work straight away. Some people taking antidepressants feel worse before feeling better. Your doctor should see you regularly during your course of treatment. Tell your doctor if you haven't started feeling better.
Some people who are depressed or anxious think of harming or killing themselves. If you start to feel worse, or think of harming or killing yourself, see your doctor or go to a hospital straight away.
Don't stop taking Faverin without talking to your doctor. If you stop taking Faverin suddenly or miss a dose, you may get withdrawal effects. See Section 3, How to take Faverin.
If you feel restless and feel like you can't sit or stand still, tell your doctor. Increasing the dose of Faverin may make these feelings worse.
Taking some other medicines with Faverin can cause problems. You may need to talk to your doctor. See section 2, Are you taking any other medicines.
If you are
pregnant or planning to get pregnant, talk to your doctor. See section 2, Pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Read all of this leaflet carefully before you start taking this medicine.
Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.
If you have any further questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
This medicine has been prescribed for you. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their symptoms are the same as yours.
If any of the side effects become serious, or if you notice any side effects not listed in this leaflet, please tell your doctor or pharmacist.
In this leaflet:
1.What Faverin is and what it is used for
2. Before you take Faverin
3. How to take Faverin
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Faverin
6. Further information
What Faverin is and what it is used for
Faverin belongs to a group of medicines called selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRI). Faverin contains a substance called fluvoxamine. This is an antidepressant. It is used to treat depression (major depressive episode).
Faverin can also treat people who have obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
Before you take Faverin
Do not take Faverin if any of the following applies to you:
- You are allergic (hypersensitive) to fluvoxamine or any of the other tablet ingredients (see section 6 'Further information')
- You are taking medicines called monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI), or have taken them in the last two weeks. Your doctor will advise you how you should begin taking Faverin once you have stopped taking the MAOI. This medicine is sometimes prescribed to treat
depression or anxiety. - You are breastfeeding
If any of the above apply to you, do not take Faverin and talk to your doctor.
Take special care
Talk to your doctor or a pharmacist before taking your medicine if:
- you recently had a heart attack
- you are pregnant, or could be pregnant
- you have epilepsy
- you have a history of bleeding problems or if you regularly use medicines which increase the risk of bleeding, such as common pain killers
- you have diabetes
- you are having treatment with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
- you ever had mania (a feeling of elation or over-excitement)
- you have liver or kidney problems
- you are less than 18 years old (See also section 3 'How to take Faverin')
If any of the above applies to you, your doctor will tell you whether it is safe for you to start taking Faverin.
Occasionally, thoughts of restlessness for example, you cannot sit or stand still (akathisia) may occur or may increase during the first few weeks of treatment with Faverin, until the antidepressant effect has worked.
Tell your doctor immediately if you experience these symptoms. Then a dosage adjustment may be helpful.
Thoughts of suicide and worsening of your depression or anxiety disorder
If you are depressed and/or have anxiety disorders you can sometimes have thoughts of harming or killing yourself. These may be increased when you first starting antidepressants, since these medicines all take time to work, usually about two weeks but sometimes longer.
You may be more likely to think like this:
- If you have previously had thoughts about killing or harming yourself.
- If you are a young adult. Information from clinical trials has shown an increased risk of suicidal behaviour in adults aged less than 25 years with psychatric conditions who were treated with an antidepressant.
If you have thoughts of harming or killing yourself at any time, contact your doctor or go to a hospital straight away.
You may find it helpful to tell a relative or close friend that you are depressed or have an anxiety disorder, and ask them to read this leaflet.
You might ask them to tell you if they think your depression or anxiety is getting worse, or if they are worried about changes in your behaviour.
Tell your doctor immediately if you have any distressing thoughts or experiences.
Use in children and adolescents under 18 years of age
Children and adolescents under 18 years should not take this medicine, unless they are being treated for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
This is because Faverin is not used to treat depression in people aged under 18 years.
When taking this type of medicine, people under 18 have an increased risk of side-effects such as attempting suicide, thoughts about suicide and hostility, such as aggression, oppositional behaviour and anger.
If your doctor has prescribed Faverin for someone under 18 years and you want to discuss this, please go back to your doctor. You should tell your doctor if any of the symptoms listed above develop or worsen when patients under 18 are taking Faverin.
Also, it is not known whether taking Faverin under the age of 18 years can affect growth, maturation or development of intelligence or behaviour in the long term.
Are you taking any other medicines?
- You should not start to take the herbal remedy St John's Wort while you are being treated with Fevarin since this may result in an increase of undesirable effects. If you are already taking St John's Wort when you start on Fevarin, stop taking the St John's Wort and tell your doctor at your next visit
- If you have been taking a medicine to treat depression or anxiety within the last two weeks, or you suffer from schizophrenia, check with your doctor or a pharmacist.
Your doctor or pharmacist will check if you are taking other medicines to treat your depression or related conditions, these may include:
- benzodiazepines
- tricyclic antidepressants
- neuroleptic or anti-psychotics
- lithium
- tryptophan
- monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) such as moclobemide.
Your doctor will tell you if it is safe for you to start taking Faverin.
You should also tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have been taking any of the medicines listed below:
- aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid ) or aspirin-like medicines, used to treat pain and inflammation (arthritis)
- ciclosporin, used to reduce the activity of the immune system
- methadone, used to treat pain and withdrawal symptoms
- mexiletine, used to treat abnormal heart rhythms
- phenytoin or carbamazepine, used to treat epilepsy
- propranolol, used to treat high blood pressure and heart conditions
- ropinirole, for Parkinson's disease.
- sumatriptan, used to treat migraines
- terfenadine, used to treat allergies. Faverin should not be taken together with terfenadine.
- theophylline, used to treat asthma and bronchitis
- tizanidine, a muscle relaxer
- tramadol, a pain-killer
- warfarin, nicoumalone or any other drug used to prevent blood clots
If you are taking or have recently taken any of the medicines in the above list and you have not already discussed these with your doctor, go back to your doctor and ask what you should do. Your dose may need to be changed or you may need to be given a different medicine.
Please tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking or have taken any other medicines, including medicines obtained without a prescription. This includes herbal medicines.
Taking Faverin with food and drink
- Do not drink alcohol if you are taking this medicine. This is because alcohol works together with Faverin and will make you sleepy and unsteady.
- If you normally drink a lot of tea, coffee and soft drinks with caffeine in them, you may have symptoms such as your hands shaking, feeling sick, fast heart rate (palpitations), restlessness and difficulty sleeping (insomnia). If you lower how much caffeine you drink, these symptoms might disappear.
Driving and using machines
You can drive and use machines while you are taking this treatment, so long as this medicine does not make you sleepy.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking any medicine.
Pregnancy
There is only limited experience concerning the use of fluvoxamine during pregnancy. Do not take fluvoxamine if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, unless your doctor considers it absolutely necessary.
You should not discontinue treatment with fluvoxamine abruptly. If you are taking fluvoxamine in the last 3 months of pregnancy, let your doctor know as your baby might have some symptoms when it is born. These symptoms usually begin during the first 24 hours after the baby is born. They include not being able to sleep or feed properly, trouble with breathing, a blueish skin or being too hot or cold, being sick, crying a lot, stiff or floppy muscles, lethargy, tremors, jitters or fits. If your baby has any of these symptoms when it is born contact your doctor immediately.
Breastfeeding
You must not breastfeed your baby during treatment with Faverin.
How to take Faverin
How much Faverin to take
Always take Faverin as your doctor has told you to.
You should check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
Usual starting dose for adults (18 years and older):
The treatment for depression:
- Start with 50 or 100 mg daily, taken in the evening.
The treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder:
- Start with 50mg daily, preferably in the evening.
If you don't start to feel better after a couple of weeks, talk to your doctor, who will advise you. He or she may decide to increase the dose gradually.
The highest daily dose that is recommended is 300 mg.
If your doctor advises you to take more than 150 mg per day, do not take them all at once; ask your doctor when you should take them .
The usual dose for children and adolescents with obsessive compulsive disorder - OCD (8 years and older is):
Start with 25mg (half a tablet) per day. Your doctor may increase the dose every 4 - 7 days in 25 mg increments as tolerated until an effective dose is achieved.
The highest daily dose is 200mg.
If your doctor advises you to take more than 50 mg per day, do not take them all at once; ask your doctor when you should take them. If the dose is not divided equally, the larger dose should be taken at night.
Children and adolescents under the age of 18 should not take this medicine to treat depression. This medicine should be prescribed for children or adolescents for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) only.
How to take Faverin
- Swallow the tablets with water. Do not chew them.
You can break the tablets in half if your doctor has advised you to.
How long does it take to work?
Faverin may take a little time to start working. Some patients do not feel better in the first 2 or 3 weeks of treatment.
Keep taking your tablets until your doctor tells you to stop. Even when you start feeling better, your doctor may want you to carry on taking the tablets for some time, for at least six months to make sure that the medication has worked completely.
Do not stop taking Faverin too quickly.
You may suffer from withdrawal symptoms such as:
- agitation and anxiety
- confusion
- diarrhoea
- difficulty sleeping
- dizziness
- emotional instability
- headaches
- irritability
- nausea and/or vomiting
- palpitation (faster heartbeats)
- sensory disturbance (such as electric shock sensations or visual disturbances)
- sweating
- tremors
When stopping Faverin your doctor will help you to reduce your dose slowly over a number of weeks or months, this should help reduce the chance of withdrawal effects. Most people find that any symptoms on stopping Faverin are mild and go away on their own within two weeks. For some people, these symptoms may be more severe, or go on for longer.
If you get withdrawal effects when you are coming off your tablets your doctor may decide that you should come off them more slowly. If you get severe withdrawal effects when you stop taking Faverin, please see your doctor. He or she may ask you to start taking your tablets again and come off them more slowly (see section 4 'Possible Side Effects').
If you experience any symptoms on stopping the treatment, contact your doctor.
If you take more Faverin than you should
If you or someone else takes too much Faverin (an overdose), talk to a doctor or go to a hospital straight away. Take the medicine pack with you.
Symptoms of overdose include, but are not limited to, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and feeling drowsy or dizzy. Cardiac events (tachycardia, bradycardia, hypotension), liver function disturbances, convulsions and coma have also been reported.
A slow or fast heartbeat, low blood pressure, liver problems, cramps and coma have also been reported.
If you forget to take Faverin
If you miss a tablet, wait until the next dose is due. Do not try to make up for the dose you have missed.
If you have any further questions on the use of this product, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Possible side effects
Like all medicines Faverin can cause side effects (unwanted effects or reactions), but not everyone gets them.
Side effects related to this type of medicine
Occasionally, thoughts of suicide or self harm may occur or may increase in the first few weeks of treatment with Faverin, until the antidepressant effect has worked.
Tell your doctor immediately if you have any distressing thoughts or experiences.
If you have several symptoms at the same time you might have one of the following rare conditions:
- Serotonin syndrome: if you have sweating, muscle stiffness or spasms, instability, confusion, irritability or extreme agitation
- Neuroleptic malignant syndrome: if you have stiff muscles, high temperature, confusion and other related symptoms.
- SIADH: if you feel tired, weak or confused and have achy, stiff or uncontrolled muscles.
Stop taking Faverin and contact your doctor immediately.
If unusual bruising or purple patches appear on your skin or you vomit blood or pass blood in your stool, contact your doctor for advice.
Stopping of fluvoxamine (particularly when abrupt) commonly leads to withdrawal symptoms (see section 3 withdrawal symptoms)
Sometimes patients feel slightly sick as Faverin begins to work. Although the feeling of sickness is unpleasant, it should soon pass if you keep taking your tablets as prescribed. This may take a few weeks.
Side effects specifically related to Faverin
Common side effects (less than 1 in 10 patients):
- agitation
- anxiety
- constipation
- diarrhoea
- difficulty sleeping
- dizziness
- dry mouth
- faster heart beat
- feeling drowsy (lethargy)
- feeling unwell (malaise)
- headache
- indigestion
- loss of appetite
- nervousness
- stomach pain
- sweating
- tremor
Uncommon side effects (less than 1 in 100):
- allergic skin reactions (including swelling of face, lip or tongue, rash or itching)
- confusion
- delayed ejaculation
- dizziness when standing up too quickly
- hallucinations
- lack of co-ordination
- muscle or joint pain
- muscle spasm
Rare side effects (less than 1 in 1000):
- akathisia (restlessness)
- convulsions
- liver complaints
- mania (a feeling of elation or over-excitement)
- sensitivity to sunlight
- unexpected milk flow
Very rare effects (less than one in 10,000)
- abnormal taste
- anorgasmy (failure to achieve orgasm)
- paraesthesia (tingling or numbness)
Side effects related to the treatment for OCD, in children and adolescents, no frequencies are given
- Mania (a feeling of elation and over excitement)
- Agitation
- Convulsions
- Difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
- Lack of energy (asthenia)
- Hyperactivity (hyperkinesia)
- Drowsy (somnolence)
- Indigestion
If any of the side effects become serious, or if you notice any side effects that are not listed in this leaflet, please tell your doctor or pharmacist.
How to store Faverin
- Keep out of the reach and sight of children.
- Do not use the tablets after the expiry date which is printed on the carton and blister pack.
- Do not store above 25°C. Store in the original package.
If your doctor stops your treatment, return any unused tablets to a pharmacist.
Medicines should not be disposed of via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of medicines no longer required. These measures will help to protect the environment.
Further information
What Faverin contains
The active substance is fluvoxamine maleate.
The other ingredients are: mannitol (E421), maize starch, pregelatinized starch, sodium stearyl fumarate, colloidal anhydrous silica, hypromellose, macrogol 6000, talc and titanium dioxide (E171).
What Faverin looks like and contents of the pack
The Faverin 50 mg tablet is film-coated, white, round and the back of the tablet is marked "291" on either side of the score line. Each tablet contains 50 mg fluvoxamine maleate.
The Faverin 100 mg tablet is film-coated, white, oval and the back of the tablet is marked "313" on either side of the score line. Each tablet contains 100 mg fluvoxamine maleate.
Round, biconvex, scored, white to off-white film coated tablets imprinted on one side, and '291' on both sides of the score on the reverse.
Faverin 50 mg is available in packs of 60 tablets and Faverin 100 mg is available in packs of 30 tablets.
Not all pack sizes may be marketed.
Marketing Authorisation Holder and Manufacturer
The marketing authorisation holder is
Faverin is made by
or
This leaflet was last approved in June 2010.
1071540 CL1051
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