Patient Medication Information: uses, side effects, how to take - Minirin
ABOUT THIS MEDICATION
What the medication is used for?
What is Minirin® Tablets?
Minirin® Tablets is a drug that is prescribed for people who have to wake and get up in the night to urinate (pee). This condition is called Nocturia.
Minirin® Tablets (pills) help to reduce the amount of urine that the body makes at night. The bladder (where urine is stored in the body) does not fill as quickly, so a person taking Minirin® does not need to get up so often.
Who gets Nocturia?
You are not alone. Nocturia is a common medical condition that affects both men and women. A person may have Nocturia at any age, but older people tend to have it more often.
People with Nocturia may wake up one or more times in a night to urinate (pee). Nocturia may wake a person every night or only a few times a week.
What causes Nocturia?
People get Nocturia because their bodies do not produce enough of a natural chemical called vasopressin. Or they may produce enough vasopressin but their bodies do not react to it.
What it does:
How does Minirin® Tablets Work?
Minirin® Tablets replaces or adds to the naturally occurring chemical that your body needs to regulate the amount of urine it produces at night.
When it should not be used:
Who Should Not Take Minirin® Tablets?
There are people who should not take Minirin® tablets. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have:
- Hyponatraemia (low blood sodium levels)
- Diarrhoea
- Any heart, liver or kidney problems
- Bleeding problems
- Constant thirst
- Bulimia or anorexia nervosa
Type II B or platelet-type (pseudo) von
Willebrand’s disease.
- Adrenal problems (e.g. Addison’s disease)
- An allergy to desmopressin acetate or to any of the ingredients listed.
What does Minirin® Tablets contain?
What the medicinal ingredient is:
This medicine contains an active drug called desmopressin acetate. If you know you have an allergy or sensitivity to desmopressin acetate, call your doctor before using this medicine.
What the important nonmedicinal ingredients are:
Minirin® Tablets also contains some other ingredients called lactose, potato starch, povidone and magnesium stearate. If you know you have an allergy or sensitivity to any of these ingredients, call your doctor before using this medicine.
What dosage forms it comes in:
MInirin® Tablets, 0.1 mg tablets are white oval tablets that are marked with “0.1” on one side. Minirin® Tablets, 0.2 mg tablets are also white round tablets that are marked with “0.2” on one side.
WARNING AND PRECAUTIONS
BEFORE you use Minirin® Tablets talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you are:
Breast-feeding
- Pregnant or think you might be pregnant
And/or if you have:
- heart problems
- liver disease
- kidney problems
- bleeding problems
- constant thirst
- fever
any allergies to desmopressin acetate or any of
the ingredients listed in “What the important nonmedicinal ingredients are.”
Infrequently, high doses of desmopressin have produced temporary headache and nausea. Nasal congestion, flushing and mild abdominal cramps have been reported. These symptoms disappeared with reduction in dosage. Please contact your doctor if you experience any side effects. For Minirin® Tablets to work best it is important to limit the number of drinks of any kind that you have after supper especially one hour before bedtime, until the next morning (at least 8 hours) after taking the medication. It is also important to reduce alcohol and caffeine intake (coffee, tea, caffeinated pop).
If you are taking any of the drugs that are known to cause water retention listed in “Interactions with This Medication”, it may be necessary to monitor
the amount of sodium in your blood. Use of both drugs together can increase the chances of getting low amounts of sodium in your blood. Contact your doctor if you experience worsening of the symptoms such as headache, nausea and vomiting. This may indicate possible changes in the amount of sodium in your blood and you doctor may have to do a blood test.
INTERACTIONS WITH THIS MEDICATION
Drugs that may interact with Minirin® Tablets include:
- Tricyclic antidepressants (amitriptyline, nortriptyline)
- Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (for example, fluoxetine or Prozac®, paroxetine or Paxil®, sertraline or Zoloft®, fluvoxamine or Luvox®, citalopram or Celexa®)
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs such as etodolac or Ultradol®, ibuprofen or Advil® or Motrin®, naproxen or Naprosyn® ; celecoxib or Celebrex®)
- Chlorpromazine
- Carbamazepine
- Diuretics (water pills)
- Loperamide or Imodium®
- Clofibrate
- Chlorpropamide
- Demeclocyclin
- Lithium
- Norepinephrine
If you are taking any of these drugs, please talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Minirin®
Tablets.
PROPER USE OF THIS MEDICATION
How Many Minirin® Tablets Should I Take?
Usual dose:
Use the chart below or one that has been recommended by your doctor.
| Recommended Amount of Minirin® | What can you expect? | |
Step 1 To Start For the first 7 nights | Take 1 Minirin® Tablets, 0.1 mg tablet at bedtime (0.1 mg is lowest dose tablet) | Cut down on alcohol and caffeine after supper. If you do not wake up to go to the bathroom, continue to take the same amount of Minirin® Tablets, each night (0.1 mg). You do not need to increase the dose.
|
Step 2 Second Week Nights 8 – 14 | Take 1 Minirin® Tablets, 0.2 mg tablet at bedtime (0.2 mg is higher dose tablet) |
|
Step 3 Third Week Nights 15-21 | Take 2 Minirin® Tablets, 0.2 mg Tablets at bedtime |
|
Please note:
Minirin® 0.1 mg tablets are white oval tablets that are marked with “0.1” on one side.
Minirin® 0.2 mg tablets are white round tablets that are marked with “0.2” on one side.
The maximum recommended dose is 0.4 mg per day.
What Can I do to Help the Medicine Work?
- 1.
Cut down on the number of drinks, of any
kind, that you have after supper.
- 2.
Cut down on alcohol and caffeine (coffee, tea,
caffeinated pop) after supper.
If you are still waking to go to the bathroom after taking 2 Minirin® Tablets, 0.2 mg tablets for 1 week, tell your doctor.
How Long Should I Take My Minirin® Tablets? Take your Minirin® Tablets for as long as you and your doctor have decided is best for you.
Overdose
If you take too much?
If you take too much of your medication, you should immediately contact your doctor. Symptoms of overdose may include headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, facial flushing, weight gain due to water retention and, in severe cases, convulsions.
Missed dose:
What if I Forget to Take My Tablets?
Do not take any extra pills. Take the same number of tablets as before you forgot. For example, Mary took 1 tablet of 0.2 mg on Monday but she forgot to take a tablet on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Mary should take 1 tablet of 0.2 mg.
SIDE EFFECTS AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT THEM
What are the Possible Side Effects of Minirin®
Tablets?
As with all medicines, side effects maybe experienced. With Minirin® Tablets, these may include headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, dry mouth, diarrhoea, feeling tired, abdominal pain, high blood pressure (headache, blurred vision, dizziness and nausea), insomnia, constipation, swelling in the ankles and joints, and leg cramps. These have occurred usually when the medication is being adjusted. Once you are taking the right amount of medicine for your condition, these side effects will usually go away. Tell your doctor any side effects you experience.
This is not a complete list of side effects. For any unexpected effects while taking Minirin® Tablets, contact your doctor or pharmacist.
HOW TO STORE IT
Where should I keep Minirin ® Tablets?
Store your Minirin® Tablets in a dry place between 15 and 25ºC. Keep the container tightly closed. Keep out of the reach of children and pets.
REPORTING SUSPECTED SIDE EFFECTS
To monitor drug safety, Health Canada collects information on serious and unexpected effects of drugs. If you suspect you have had a serious or unexpected reaction to this drug you may notify Health Canada by:
Toll-free telephone: 866-234-2345
Toll-free fax: 866-678-6789
By email: cadrmp@hc-sc.gc.ca
By regular mail:
Canadian Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring Program (CADRMP)
Marketed Health Products Safety and Effectiveness Information Division
Marketed Health Products Directorate Tunney’s Pasture, Address Locator: 0701C Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9
NOTE: Before contacting Health Canada, you should contact your physician or pharmacist.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For more information or help, call a Registered Nurse at 1-800-970-4224 or visit our Website at www.bedwetting.ferring.ca
® Registered Trademark of Ferring BV
Ferring Inc., Toronto, Ontario