Abilium

Leaflet accompanying the packaging: patient information

Abilium, 5 mg, hard capsules

Aripiprazole

Read the contents of the leaflet carefully before taking the medicine, as it contains important information for the patient.

• Keep this leaflet, so you can read it again if you need to.
• If you have any doubts, consult your doctor or pharmacist.
• This medicine has been prescribed specifically for you. Do not pass it on to others. The medicine may harm another person, even if their symptoms are the same as yours.
• If the patient experiences any side effects, including those not listed in this leaflet, they should inform their doctor or pharmacist. See section 4.

Table of contents of the leaflet

• 1. What is Abilium and what is it used for
• 2. Important information before taking Abilium
• 3. How to take Abilium
• 4. Possible side effects
• 5. How to store Abilium
• 6. Contents of the packaging and other information

1. What is Abilium and what is it used for

Abilium 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 with schizophrenia, a disease characterized by symptoms such as: hearing, seeing, and feeling things that do not exist in reality, suspiciousness, beliefs that are inconsistent with reality, chaotic speech and behavior, and emotional numbness. Patients with these symptoms may also feel sad, anxious, or tense, and may have a sense of guilt.
Abilium is used to treat adults and adolescents aged 13 years and older with mania, a disease characterized by symptoms such as: excessive excitement, overflowing energy, reduced need for sleep, very rapid speech, racing thoughts, and sometimes very severe irritability. In adults, this medicine also prevents the recurrence of the above symptoms in patients who have responded to treatment with Abilium.

2. Important information before taking Abilium

When not to take Abilium

• if the patient is allergic to aripiprazole or any of the other ingredientsof this medicine (listed in section 6).

Warnings and precautions

Before starting treatment with Abilium, discuss it with your doctor.
During treatment with aripiprazole, suicidal thoughts and behaviors have been reported.
Immediately inform your doctor if you experience thoughts or feelings related to self-harm.
Before starting treatment with Abilium, inform your doctor if you have:

• high blood sugar levels(characterized by excessive thirst, urination, increased appetite, and feeling of weakness) or a family history of diabetes;

in case of seizures (epilepsy), as this may mean that the doctor will want to monitor the patient closely;

• involuntary, irregular muscle movements, especially of the face;
• cardiovascular diseases(heart and blood vessel diseases) , a family history of cardiovascular disease, stroke or "mini" stroke, abnormal blood pressure;
• blood clotsor a family history of blood clots, as the use of antipsychotic medicines is associated with the formation of blood clots;
• gambling addictionin the past.

If the patient notices weight gain, unusual movements, drowsiness that interferes with daily activities, difficulty swallowing, or symptoms of an allergy, they should inform their doctor.
If an elderly patient has dementia (loss of memory and other mental abilities), they (their caregiver or relative) should inform the doctor if the patient has ever had a stroke or "mini" stroke.
Immediately inform your doctor if you experience any thoughts or feelings related to self-harm. During treatment with aripiprazole, suicidal thoughts and behaviors have been reported.
Immediately inform your doctor if you experience muscle stiffness or stiffness with high fever, sweating, mental disorders, or very rapid or irregular heartbeat.
If the patient or their family or caregiver notices that the patient is starting to exhibit unusual behavior and cannot resist the impulse, urge, or temptation to engage in activities that may harm themselves or others, they should tell their doctor. These phenomena are called impulse control disorders and may manifest as behaviors such as:

• compulsive gambling despite serious personal or family consequences;
• altered or increased interest in sex and behaviors that significantly disturb the patient or others, such as increased sexual drive;
• uncontrolled excessive shopping;
• uncontrolled overeating (eating large amounts of food in a short time) or compulsive eating (eating more food than usual and more than needed to satisfy hunger);
• urge to wander.

Your doctor will discuss with you ways to treat or reduce these symptoms.
Aripiprazole may cause drowsiness, decreased blood pressure when standing up, dizziness, and changes in mobility and balance, which can lead to falls.
Be careful, especially in elderly or weakened patients.

Children and adolescents

Do not use Abilium in children and adolescents under 13 years of age. It is not known whether the use of aripiprazole is safe and effective in these patients.

Abilium and other medicines

Tell your doctor or pharmacist about all medicines you are taking, have recently taken, or plan to take, including those available without a prescription.
Blood pressure-lowering medicines:
Abilium may enhance the effect of blood pressure-lowering medicines. If you are taking blood pressure-lowering medicines, inform your doctor.
Taking Abilium with other medicines may require a change in the dose of Abilium or other medicines you are taking. It is especially important to inform your doctor about the use of the following medicines:

• medicines used to treat heart rhythm disorders(such as quinidine, amiodarone, flecainide);
• antidepressant medicines or herbal medicines used to treat depression and anxiety(such as fluoxetine, paroxetine, venlafaxine, St. John's wort);
• antifungal medicines(such as ketoconazole, itraconazole);
• certain medicines used to treat HIV infection(such as efavirenz, nevirapine, protease inhibitors, e.g., indinavir, ritonavir);
• antiepileptic medicinesused to treat epilepsy(such as carbamazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital);
• certain antibioticsused to treat tuberculosis (rifabutin, rifampicin).

Taking these medicines may increase the risk of side effects or reduce the effect of Abilium. If you experience any unusual symptoms while taking these medicines with Abilium, tell your doctor.
Medicines that increase serotonin levels are usually used to treat depression, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and social phobia, as well as migraine and pain:

• triptans, tramadol, and tryptophan used to treat depression, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and social phobia, as well as migraine and pain;
• selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs, such as paroxetine and fluoxetine) used to treat depression, OCD, panic, and anxiety;
• other antidepressant medicines (such as venlafaxine and tryptophan) used to treat severe depression;
• tricyclic medicines (such as clomipramine and amitriptyline) used to treat depression;
• St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) used as a herbal preparation for mild depression;
• painkillers (such as tramadol and pethidine) used to relieve pain;
• triptans (such as sumatriptan and zolmitriptan) used to treat migraine.

Taking these medicines may increase the risk of side effects. If you experience any unusual symptoms while taking these medicines with Abilium, tell your doctor.

Taking Abilium with food, drinks, and alcohol

This medicine can be taken with or without food.
It is recommended to avoid drinking alcohol.

Pregnancy, breastfeeding, and fertility

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, think you may be pregnant, or plan to have a baby, consult your doctor before taking this medicine.
In newborns whose mothers took aripiprazole during the last trimester (last 3 months of pregnancy), the following symptoms may occur: trembling, muscle stiffness, and (or) weakness, drowsiness, agitation, breathing difficulties, and feeding difficulties. If you notice any of these symptoms in your baby, contact your doctor.
If you are taking Abilium, your doctor will discuss with you whether you should breastfeed, considering the benefits of treatment and the benefits of breastfeeding. Do not take the medicine and breastfeed. Discuss with your doctor the best methods for feeding your baby if you are taking this medicine.

Driving and using machines

During treatment with this medicine, dizziness and vision disturbances may occur (see section 4).
Consider this when performing tasks that require full attention, such as driving or operating machinery.

Abilium contains sodium

The medicine contains less than 1 mmol (23 mg) of sodium per capsule, which means the medicine is considered "sodium-free".

3. How to take Abilium

Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. If you are not sure, consult your doctor or pharmacist.
The recommended dose of Abilium for adults is 15 mg once a day.However, your doctor may prescribe a lower or higher dose, which should not exceed 30 mg once a day.

Use in children and adolescents

Treatment can be started with a low dose of the medicine in the form of an oral solution (liquid).
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, up to a maximum of 30 mg once a day.

Method of administration

Abilium should be taken orally, regardless of meals.
If you feel that the effect of Abilium is too strong or too weak, consult your doctor or pharmacist.
Abilium should be taken every day at the same time.It does not matter whether the tablet is taken with food or without food. The tablet should be swallowed whole and washed down with water.
Even if you feel better, do not change the dose or stop taking Abilium without first discussing it with your doctor.

Taking a higher dose of Abilium than recommended

If you have taken more Abilium than your doctor recommended (or if someone else has taken some of the medicine not intended for them), immediately contact your doctor. If you have difficulty contacting your doctor, go to the nearest hospital, taking the packaging of the medicine with you.
In patients who have taken too much aripiprazole, the following symptoms have occurred:

• rapid heartbeat, agitation/aggression, speech problems;
• unusual body movements (especially of the face or tongue) and decreased consciousness.

Other symptoms may include:

• severe confusion, seizures (epilepsy), coma, simultaneous fever, rapid breathing, sweating, and changes in blood pressure and heart rate, fainting (malignant neuroleptic syndrome);
• muscle stiffness and drowsiness or lethargy, slow breathing, choking, high or low blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythm.

If you experience any of these symptoms, immediately contact your doctor or hospital.

Missing a dose of Abilium

If you miss a dose, take the missed dose as soon as you remember. Do not take two doses on the same day.

Stopping treatment with Abilium

Do not stop treatment if you feel better.

It is very important to take Abilium as prescribed by your doctor and for the period prescribed by your doctor.
If you have any further doubts about taking this medicine, consult your doctor or pharmacist.

4. Possible side effects

Like all medicines, Abilium can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
Common side effects (may affect up to 1 in 10 people):

• diabetes,
• sleep disturbances,
• anxiety,
• feeling of restlessness and inability to sit or stand still,
• akathisia (feeling of inner restlessness and compulsion to perform continuous movements),
• uncontrolled trembling, jerking movements, or writhing movements,
• trembling,
• headache,
• fatigue,
• drowsiness,
• dizziness,
• blurred vision,
• reduced number of bowel movements or difficulty with bowel movements,
• nausea,
• vomiting,
• excessive salivation,
• feeling of fatigue.

Uncommon side effects (may affect up to 1 in 100 people):

• decreased or increased prolactin levels in the blood,
• high blood sugar levels,
• depression,
• changes in sexuality or increased interest in sex,
• uncontrolled movements of the mouth, tongue, and limbs (tardive dyskinesia),
• muscle disorders causing twisting movements (dystonia),
• restless legs syndrome,
• double vision,
• increased sensitivity of the eyes to light,
• rapid heartbeat,
• decreased blood pressure when standing up, causing dizziness, feeling of emptiness in the head, or fainting,
• hiccups.

The following side effects have been reported after the marketing of aripiprazole in oral form, but the frequency of their occurrence is not known:

• decreased white blood cell count,
• decreased platelet count,
• allergic reactions (e.g., swelling of the mouth, tongue, face, and throat, itching, rash),
• onset of diabetes or worsening of its course, ketoacidosis (presence of ketone bodies in the blood and urine) or coma,
• high blood sugar levels,
• low sodium levels in the blood,
• loss of appetite (anorexia),
• weight loss,
• weight gain,
• suicidal thoughts, attempted suicide, and completed suicide,
• feeling of aggression,
• agitation,
• nervousness,
• simultaneous occurrence of fever, muscle stiffness, rapid breathing, sweating, and changes in blood pressure and heart rate, fainting (malignant neuroleptic syndrome),
• seizures,
• serotonin syndrome (symptoms: inappropriate feeling of great joy, drowsiness, clumsiness, restlessness, especially motor, feeling of intoxication, fever, sweating, or muscle stiffness),
• speech disorders,
• fixation of the eyeballs in one position,
• sudden unexplained death,
• life-threatening irregular heart rhythm,
• heart attack (myocardial infarction),
• slow heartbeat,
• blood clots in the veins, especially in the legs (symptoms include swelling, pain, and redness of the legs, chest pain, and breathing difficulties - if you experience any of these symptoms, you must immediately consult a doctor),
• high blood pressure,
• fainting,
• accidental choking on food - risk of pneumonia,
• muscle spasm around the vocal cords,
• pancreatitis,
• difficulty swallowing,
• diarrhea,
• abdominal discomfort,
• stomach discomfort,
• liver failure,
• hepatitis,
• jaundice - yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes,
• abnormal liver test results,
• increased creatine phosphokinase activity,
• skin rash,
• increased sensitivity of the skin to light,
• hair loss,
• excessive sweating,
• severe allergic reactions, such as drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS syndrome). Initially, DRESS syndrome resembles flu-like symptoms with a rash on the face, and then a rash appears on other parts of the body, high fever, enlarged lymph nodes, elevated liver enzyme activity (visible in blood tests), and elevated levels of a certain type of white blood cell (eosinophilia),
• abnormal breakdown of muscle leading to kidney disorders,
• muscle pain,
• stiffness,
• involuntary urination,
• difficulty urinating,
• withdrawal syndrome in newborns in case of exposure to the medicine during pregnancy,
• prolonged and (or) painful erection,
• difficulty regulating body temperature or overheating,
• chest pain,
• swelling of the hands, ankles, or feet,
• in blood tests: increased or fluctuating blood sugar levels, increased glycated hemoglobin levels,
• inability to resist impulse, urge, or temptation to engage in activities and behaviors, such as:
• excessive gambling despite serious personal or family consequences;
• altered or increased interest in sex and behaviors that significantly disturb the patient or others, such as increased sexual drive;
• uncontrolled excessive shopping;
• uncontrolled overeating (eating large amounts of food in a short time) or compulsive eating (eating more food than usual and more than needed to satisfy hunger);
• urge to wander.

If you experience such behaviors, tell your doctor, who will discuss with you ways to treat or reduce these symptoms.
In elderly patients with dementia taking aripiprazole, more cases of death have been reported. Additionally, cases of stroke or "mini" stroke have been noted.

Additional side effects in children and adolescents

In adolescents aged 13 years and older, side effects occurred with a similar frequency and type as in adults, except for drowsiness, uncontrolled trembling or movements, restlessness, and fatigue, which occurred very frequently (more than 1 in 10 patients) and abdominal pain, dry mouth, rapid heartbeat, weight gain, increased appetite, muscle trembling, uncontrolled limb movements, and dizziness, especially when standing up from a lying or sitting position, which occurred frequently (more than 1 in 100 patients).

Reporting side effects

If you experience any side effects, including those not listed in this leaflet, tell your doctor or pharmacist. Side effects can be reported directly to the Department of Adverse Reaction Monitoring of Medicinal Products of the Office for Registration of Medicinal Products, Medical Devices, and Biocidal Products:
Jerozolimskie Avenue 181 C, 02-222 Warsaw,
phone: 22 49-21-301, fax: 22 49-21-309,
Website: https://smz.ezdrowie.gov.pl
Side effects can also be reported to the marketing authorization holder.
Reporting side effects will help to gather more information on the safety of this medicine.

5. How to store Abilium

Keep the medicine out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not use this medicine after the expiry date stated on the blister and carton after: "EXP". The expiry date refers to the last day of the month.
Store in a temperature below 30°C.
Store in the original packaging to protect from moisture.
Medicines should not be disposed of via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of medicines no longer required. This will help protect the environment.

6. Contents of the packaging and other information

What Abilium contains

• The active substance of the medicine is aripiprazole. Each hard capsule contains 5 mg of aripiprazole.
• Other ingredients are: microcrystalline cellulose type 102, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose type A, povidone K 30, colloidal silicon dioxide, magnesium stearate, indigo carmine (E 132), titanium dioxide (E 171), gelatin, ink 10A2 black consisting of: shellac (E 904), iron oxide black (E 172), propylene glycol (E 1520), ammonia, potassium hydroxide (E 525)

What Abilium looks like and contents of the pack

Hard, gelatin, opaque capsules No. 3, light blue in color.
The body of the capsule has a black inscription "5 mg".
Capsule contents: white to cream-colored powder.
7 capsules in one blister pack.
The single pack contains 14 or 28 or 56 hard capsules in a cardboard box.
Not all pack sizes may be marketed.

Marketing authorization holder and manufacturer

Marketing authorization holder
pharma2pharma Sp. z o.o.
Klaudyny 38/117
01-684 Warsaw
Manufacturer
Tarchomińskie Zakłady Farmaceutyczne "Polfa" Spółka Akcyjna
Aleksandra Fleminga 2
03-176 Warsaw
To obtain more detailed information about this medicine, contact the local representative of the marketing authorization holder:
VITAMED PHARMACEUTICALS Sp. z o.o.
Posła Józefa Ostrowskiego 24
97-213 Smardzewice
e-mail: kontakt@vitamed.pl

This medicine is authorized in the Member States of the European Economic Area under the following names:

Poland: Abilium
Spain: Abilium 5 mg hard capsules EFG

Date of last revision of the leaflet: