Package Insert: Information for the User
Duloxetina Normon 120mg hard-gastrorresistant capsules
duloxetina
Read this package insert carefully before starting to take this medication, as it contains important information for you.
Duloxetina Normon contains the active ingredient duloxetina.
Duloxetina increases the levels of serotonin and noradrenaline in the nervous system.
Duloxetina Normon is used in adults to treat:
•depression
•generalized anxiety disorder (chronic feeling of anxiety or nervousness).
Duloxetina begins to act in most people with depression or anxiety within two weeks of starting treatment, but it may take between two and four weeks to start feeling better. Inform your doctor if you do not notice improvement after this time. Your doctor may continue giving you duloxetina when you are feeling better to prevent your depression or anxiety from returning.
Do not takeDuloxetina Normon
Consult your doctor if you have high blood pressure or heart disease. Your doctor will tell you if you can take Duloxetina Normon .
Warnings and precautions
This medicine may not be suitable for you for the following reasons. Consult your doctor before starting to take Duloxetina Normon if:
Duloxetine may cause a feeling of restlessness or inability to sit or stay still. If this happens, you should tell your doctor.
Some medicines in the group to which duloxetine belongs (called SSRIs/SNRIs) may cause sexual dysfunction symptoms (see section 4). In some cases, these symptoms persist after stopping treatment.
Thoughts of suicide and worsening of your depression or anxiety
If you are depressed and/or have anxiety disorders, you may occasionally have thoughts of self-harm or suicide. These thoughts may be increased at the beginning of treatment with antidepressants, as all these medicines take time to work, usually two weeks, but sometimes longer.
You are more likely to have these thoughts if:
Contact your doctor or go directly to the hospital as soon as you have any thoughts of self-harm or suicide.
It may be helpful to tell a close relative or friend that you are depressed or have an anxiety disorder, and ask them to read this leaflet. They may be able to tell you if your depression or anxiety is getting worse, or if they are worried about changes in your behaviour.
You should also contact your doctor:
if you experience signs and symptoms of restlessness, hallucinations, loss of coordination, rapid heartbeat, increased body temperature, rapid changes in blood pressure, hyperactive reflexes, diarrhoea, coma, nausea, vomiting, as you may be suffering from a serotonin syndrome.
In its most severe form, serotonin syndrome can resemble Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS). The signs and symptoms of NMS can include a combination of fever, rapid heartbeat, sweating, severe muscle stiffness, confusion, increased muscle enzymes (determined by blood test).
Children and adolescents
This medicine should not be used in children and adolescents under 18 years of age. You should also know that patients under 18 years of age, when taking this class of medicines, have an increased risk of side effects such as suicidal behaviour, suicidal thoughts and hostility (mainly aggression, oppositional behaviour and irritability). Despite this, your doctor may prescribe duloxetine for patients under 18 years of age because they decide it may be beneficial for the patient. If your doctor has prescribed duloxetine for a patient under 18 years of age and you want to talk about it, please go back to your doctor. You should inform your doctor if any of the symptoms mentioned above appear or worsen in patients under 18 years of age who are taking duloxetine. Additionally, in this age group, the long-term safety effects of duloxetine related to growth, maturation and development of cognitive and behavioural functions have not yet been demonstrated.
Other medicines and Duloxetina Normon
Inform your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have taken recently or may need to take any other medicine, including those bought without a prescription.
The main component of Duloxetina Normon, duloxetine, is used in other medicines for other treatments: diabetic neuropathic pain, depression, anxiety and urinary incontinence.
You should avoid using more than one of these medicines at the same time. Consult your doctor if you are already taking another medicine that contains duloxetine.
Your doctor will decide if you can take duloxetine with other medicines.Do not start or stop using any medicine, including those bought without a prescription and herbal remedies, without first consulting your doctor.
You should also inform your doctor if you are taking any of the following medicines:
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs):do not take duloxetine if you are taking, or have taken in the last 14 days, another medicine for the treatment of depression known as a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI). Examples of MAOIs include moclobemide (an antidepressant) and linezolid (an antibiotic). Taking an MAOI with many prescription medicines, including duloxetine, can cause serious side effects, even life-threatening. You should wait at least 14 days after stopping treatment with an MAOI before taking duloxetine. Similarly, you should wait at least 5 days after finishing treatment with duloxetine before starting treatment with an MAOI.
Medicines that cause drowsiness:including prescription medicines prescribed by your doctor such as benzodiazepines, powerful analgesics, antipsychotics, phenobarbital and antihistamines.
Medicines that increase serotonin levels:triptans, tramadol, tryptophan, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (such as paroxetine and fluoxetine), serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (such as venlafaxine), tricyclic antidepressants (such as clomipramine, amitriptyline), pethidine, St. John's Wort and MAOIs (such as moclobemide and linezolid). These medicines increase the risk of side effects; if you observe any unusual symptoms when taking any of these medicines with duloxetine, you should tell your doctor.
Oral anticoagulants or antiplatelet agents:medicines that thin the blood or prevent the formation of blood clots in the blood. These medicines may increase the risk of bleeding.
Taking Duloxetina Normon with food, drink and alcohol
This medicine can be taken with or without food. You should be careful if you take alcohol while taking duloxetine.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, consult your doctor or pharmacist before using this medicine.
Driving and using machines
During treatment with duloxetine, you may feel drowsy or dizzy. Do not drive or operate tools or machines until you know how duloxetine affects you.
Duloxetina Normon contains saccharose
If your doctor has told you that you have an intolerance to certain sugars, consult with them before taking this medicine.
Duloxetina Normon contains sodium
This medicine contains less than 1 mmol of sodium (23 mg) per capsule; that is, it is essentially «sodium-free».
Follow exactly the administration instructions of this medication indicated by your doctor or pharmacist. In case of doubt, consult your doctor or pharmacist again.
Duloxetine should be taken orally. Swallow the capsule whole with water.
For depression:
The recommended dose of duloxetine is 60 mg once a day, but your doctor will prescribe the dose that is best for you.
For generalized anxiety disorder:
The initial normal dose of duloxetine is 30 mg once a day, after which most patients receive 60 mg once a day, but your doctor will prescribe the dose that is best for you.The dose can be adjusted to 120 mg per day depending on your response to duloxetine.
This medication can be taken with or without food.
Taking the capsule every day at the same time may help you remember to take duloxetine.
Discuss with your doctor for how long you should take this medication. Do not stop taking duloxetine, or change your dose, without consulting your doctor. It is essential to treat your illness properly to help you improve. If you do not treat it, your illness may not disappear and may become more severe and harder to treat.
If you take moreDuloxetine Normonthan you should
In case of overdose or accidental ingestion, consult your doctor or pharmacist immediately or call the Toxicological Information Service, phone 91 562 04 20, indicating the medication and the amount ingested. Within the symptoms produced by an overdose, include drowsiness, coma, serotonin syndrome (a rare reaction that can cause a feeling of intense happiness, drowsiness, clumsiness, restlessness, feeling drunk, fever, sweating, or muscle rigidity), seizures, vomiting, and high heart rate.
If you forget to takeDuloxetine Normon
If you forget to take a dose, take it as soon as you remember. However, if it is already time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take a single dose as you normally do. Do not take a double dose to compensate for the missed dose. Do not take more than the prescribed amount of Duloxetine Normon in a day.
If you interrupt treatment withDuloxetine Normon
Do not stop taking your capsules without your doctor's advice, even if you feel better. If your doctor thinks you no longer need to take duloxetine, they will instruct you to reduce your dose for at least 2 weeks before stopping treatment.
Some patients who suddenly stopped treatment with duloxetine have experienced symptoms such as:
These symptoms are usually not significant and disappear within a few days, but if you have symptoms that are bothersome, ask your doctor for advice.
If you have any other doubts about the use of this medication, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everyone will experience them. These side effects are usually mild to moderate and often disappear within a few weeks.
Very common side effects (may affect more than 1 in 10 patients)
Common side effects (may affect up to 1 in 10 patients)
Children and adolescents under 18 years of age with depression treated with this medicine experienced a decrease in weight when they started taking this medicine. After six months of treatment, the weight normalized to levels similar to those of other children and adolescents of the same age and sex.
Uncommon side effects (may affect up to 1 in 100 patients)
Rare side effects (may affect up to 1 in 10,000 patients)
Very rare side effects (may affect up to 1 in 100,000 patients)
Frequency not known (cannot be estimated from available data)
•Signs and symptoms of a condition called "stress cardiomyopathy," which may include chest pain, difficulty breathing, dizziness, fainting, and irregular heartbeats.
Reporting of side effects
If you experience side effects, consult your doctor or pharmacist, even if they are not listed in this leaflet. You can also report them directly through the Spanish System for the Pharmacovigilance of Medicines for Human Use:https://www.notificaram.es. By reporting side effects, you can contribute to providing more information on the safety of this medicine.
Keep this medication out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not use this medication after the expiration date that appears on the box. The expiration date is the last day of the month indicated.
PVC/PVDC-Aluminum Blister: Do not store at a temperature above 30 °C.
Medicines should not be disposed of through drains or in the trash. Dispose of packaging and medications you no longer need at the SIGRE collection point at the pharmacy. If in doubt, ask your pharmacist how to dispose of packaging and medications you no longer need. By doing so, you will help protect the environment.
Composition ofDuloxetina Normon120mg
The active ingredient is duloxetina.
Each gastro-resistant hard capsule contains 120mg of duloxetina (as hydrochloride).
The other components are:
Capule content:hypromellose, talc, titanium dioxide (E-171), copolymer of methacrylic acid-ethyl acrylate (1:1) dispersion at 30% (contains sodium lauryl sulfate and polysorbate 80), triethyl citrate, sugar spheres (contains sucrose and cornstarch), sucrose.
Capsule body: gelatin, brilliant blue FCF (E-133), printing ink (iron oxide black [E-172], potassium hydroxide, shellac).
Appearance of the product and content of the container
Duloxetina is a gastro-resistant hard capsule. Each hard capsule of duloxetina contains duloxetina hydrochloride in the form ofpelletscoated to protect them from gastric acid.
Duloxetina Normon 120mg hard gastro-resistant capsules are hard gelatin capsules of size 00 with a transparent blue-colored cap and a transparent blue-colored body printed with black ink (cap "DU"/body "120") approximately 23.2 mm in size.
This medicine is available in blisters of 28hard gastro-resistant capsules.
Holder of the marketing authorization and responsible for manufacturing
Holder of the marketing authorization
LABORATORIOS NORMON, S.A.
Ronda de Valdecarrizo, 6 – 28760 Tres Cantos – Madrid (SPAIN)
Responsible for manufacturing
TOWA Pharmaceutical Europe, S.L.
C/ de Sant Martí, 75-97,
Martorelles, 08107, Barcelona,
Spain
Last review date of this leaflet: July 2024
Detailed information about this medicine is available on the website of the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS)http://www.aemps.gob.es/
You can access detailed and updated information about this medicine by scanning the QR code included in the leaflet and packaging with your smartphone. You can also access this information at the following internet address:
https://cima.aemps.es/cima/dochtml/p/88029/P_88029.html
Have questions about this medication or your symptoms? Connect with a licensed doctor for guidance and personalized care.