Leaflet: information for the user

Diazepam pensa 10 mg tablets EFG

Read this leaflet carefully before you start taking this medicine, as it contains important information for you.

• Keep this leaflet, as you may need to read it again.

If you have any questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

• This medicine has been prescribed for you only. Do not give it to others even if they have the same symptoms as you, as it may harm them.
• If you experience any side effects, consult your doctor or pharmacist, even if they are not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.

1.What is Diazepam pensa and what it is used for

2.What you need to know before starting to take Diazepam pensa

3.How to take Diazepam pensa

4.Possible side effects

5.Storage of Diazepam pensa

6.Contents of the pack and additional information

Diazepam pensa contains diazepam as its active ingredient, which belongs to a group of medications called benzodiazepines.

Diazepam has tranquilizing, sedating, muscle relaxing, and anticonvulsant effects.

Doctors prescribe diazepam to people who experience symptoms of anxiety, agitation, and mental tension caused by psychoneurotic states and transient situational disorders. Benzodiazepines are only indicated for the treatment of intense disorders that limit activity or subject the person to significant stress.

It may also be useful for relieving symptoms of acute agitation, tremors, and hallucinations in patients with alcohol withdrawal syndrome.

Diazepam contributes to the relief of muscle pain caused by spasms or inflammation of muscles or joints, trauma, etc. It can also be used to combat spasms caused by diseases such as cerebral palsy (a group of disorders that affect a person's ability to move, maintain balance, and posture) and paraplegia (paralysis of the lower half of the body, affecting both legs), as well as in atetosis (slow, involuntary, and extravagant movements of fingers and hands) and in generalized rigidity syndrome.

Diazepam may be used as an adjunctive treatment (treatment administered after the primary treatment to increase the chances of a cure) for convulsive disorders (such as epilepsy, seizures), but it has not been proven useful as a single treatment. In these cases, your doctor will periodically evaluate the usefulness of the medication for your case.

Do not take Diazepam think

• If you are allergic to diazepam or any of the other components of this medication (listed in section 6).
• If you are allergic (hypersensitive) to other medications in the benzodiazepine group.
• If you have respiratory difficulties related or unrelated to sleep for a long time.
• If you have a disease called "myasthenia gravis", characterized by muscle weakness and fatigue.
• If you have severe respiratory problems (severe respiratory insufficiency).
• If you have severe liver problems (severe hepatic insufficiency).
• If you suffer from drug or alcohol dependence, do not take Diazepam think, unless your doctor tells you to formally.

This medication is not recommended for the primary treatment of psychotic disorders (severe mental disorders that cause abnormal ideas and perceptions), nor should it be used as the sole treatment for depression, alone or associated with anxiety. Your doctor has probably prescribed another medication for these cases.

Warnings and precautions

Consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting to take Diazepam think

• If you have any heart, liver, or kidney disease
• If you have respiratory difficulties
• If you suffer from severe muscle weakness
• If you have other diseases
• If you have allergies
• If you have a history or problems of dependence on drugs or central nervous system depressants, including alcohol
• If you are taking other medications

Your doctor will decide whether you should take a lower dose of Diazepam think or not take it at all.

In patients with depression, diazepam only acts on the anxious component, so it is not a treatment for depression itself and may eventually unmask some of its symptoms.

If you are epileptic and are following a long-term treatment with diazepam, do not recommend the use of the benzodiazepine antagonist Anexate (flumazenil) to reverse the effect of diazepam, as seizures may occur.

Your doctor will pay special attention to the high risk associated if you are an elderly patient or are very debilitated.

Children

The duration of treatment should be as short as possible.

Do not use this medication in children under 6 months of age.

Elderly patients

Elderly patients may need lower doses of diazepam than young patients. The pharmacological effects of benzodiazepines in elderly patients appear to be greater than in the younger population.

If you are an elderly patient, your doctor may prescribe a lower dose and check your response to treatment. Please follow your doctor's instructions carefully.

Patients with liver disorders

The sedative effect of diazepam is increased in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis.

Other medications and Diazepam think

Inform your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have taken recently, or may need to take any other medication. This is extremely important because the simultaneous use of more than one medication can increase or decrease its effect. For example, tranquilizers, sleep inducers, and similar medications act on the brain and nerves and can reinforce the effect of diazepam.

Cisapride, cimetidine, ketoconazole, fluconazole, voriconazole, fluvoxamine, fluoxetine, hormonal contraceptives, disulfiram, isoniazid, diltiazem, idelalisib, modafinil, armodafinil, omeprazole, and esomeprazole temporarily increase the sedative effect of diazepam, increasing the risk of drowsiness. The same occurs with grapefruit juice.

On the other hand, medications such as rifampicin and carbamazepine produce a decrease in the effects of diazepam.

Similarly, the metabolism of phenytoin may be affected if you are taking diazepam, so if you are taking this medication, your doctor will adjust the doses of the same.

The sedative effect and respiratory depression can be increased when combining diazepam with other central nervous system depressants, which can cause coma or death.

Xanthines such as theophylline and caffeine oppose the sedative effects of diazepam.

Therefore, do not use diazepam with any other medication, unless your doctor has allowed it.

If you need more information about this, consult your doctor or pharmacist.

Taking Diazepam think with food, drinks, and alcohol

Alcoholic beverages increase the sedative effects of Diazepam think, so avoid the use of alcoholic beverages during treatment. If you need additional information, consult your doctor.

Do not take diazepam in combination with grapefruit juice, as it can increase the levels of diazepam in your body.

Foods and antacids can decrease the speed, but not decrease the absorption of diazepam from the tablet; this can lead to milder effects after a single dose, but does not affect during treatment with multiple doses.

Prokinetic medications (medications to improve intestinal transit) increase the absorption of diazepam.

Risk of dependence

The use of benzodiazepines, and benzodiazepine-like drugs can lead to physical and psychological dependence. This occurs mainly after taking the medication continuously for a long time. To minimize the risk of dependence, the following precautions should be taken:

• The taking of benzodiazepines should be done only under medical prescription (never because they have worked in other patients), and never advise others.
• Do not increase the prescribed doses by your doctor, or prolong the treatment more than recommended.
• Consult your doctor regularly to decide if you should continue treatment.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

Consult your doctor or pharmacist before using any medication.

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, think you may be pregnant, or intend to become pregnant, consult your doctor or pharmacist before using this medication.

If you take diazepam before or during delivery, hypothermia (abnormally low body temperature), weakness, hypotension, and respiratory difficulties may occur in the newborn. Additionally, cases of withdrawal syndrome in newborns have been reported.

Benzodiazepines pass into breast milk, so you should consult your doctor about taking or not taking diazepam while breastfeeding.

Driving and operating machinery

Do not drive or operate tools or machines because this medication can cause sedation, amnesia, difficulty concentrating, and muscle weakness, which can negatively affect your ability to drive vehicles or operate machinery. Your doctor should decide when you can resume these activities. This effect is increased if you have also consumed alcohol.

Diazepam think contains lactose

This medication contains lactose. If your doctor has told you that you have an intolerance to certain sugars, consult with him before taking this medication.

Follow the exact administration instructions for this medication as indicated by your doctor. In case of doubt, consult your doctor or pharmacist again.

Depending on the nature of your illness, your age, and weight, your doctor will prescribe the most suitable dose and indicate the duration of your diazepam treatment.

Remember to take your medication.

Follow these instructions unless your doctor has given you different instructions:

Adults:

Anxiety symptoms: 2 to 10 mg, 2 to 4 times a day, depending on the severity of symptoms.

Acute alcohol withdrawal relief: 10 mg, 3 or 4 times within the first 24 hours, reducing to 5 mg 3 or 4 times a day, as needed.

Muscle skeletal spasm relief: 2 to 10 mg, 3 or 4 times a day.

Anticonvulsant therapy adjunct: 2 to 10 mg, 2 or 4 times a day.

Special populations dosage

Use in children: 2 to 2.5 mg, 1 or 2 times a day, increasing gradually as needed and tolerated; generally 0.1-0.3 mg/kg per day. Due to the variety of responses of children to central nervous system-acting medications, treatment should begin with the lowest dose and increase as required. Do not use in children under 6 months of age.

In elderly or debilitated patients: 2 to 2.5 mg, 1 or 2 times a day, increasing gradually as needed and tolerated.

Treatment should begin with the lowest dose. Do not exceed the maximum dose.

If you estimate that the action of diazepam is too strong or too weak, inform your doctor or pharmacist.

In elderly patients or those with liver or kidney disease, or muscle weakness, in children, in debilitated patients, or those with low serum albumin levels, your doctor will prescribe a lower dose.

Guidelines for correct administration

Do not increase the doses prescribed by your doctor at all.

Each individual dose should not exceed the indicated limits, and the total daily dose should not be exceeded unless your doctor prescribes a higher dose.

Diazepam pensa tablets should be taken without chewing, with a little water or a non-alcoholic beverage. The tablet can be divided into equal doses.

Diazepam pensa tablets should be taken at the hours when they are most needed, usually in the afternoon or evening. Never change the dose that has been prescribed for you.

Treatment duration

The duration of treatment should be as short as possible and never exceed 2-3 months. Consult your doctor regularly to decide if treatment should be continued.

Do not prolong treatment beyond the recommended duration.

To avoid withdrawal symptoms, do not stop taking diazepam abruptly, especially if you have been taking it for a long time.

If you take more Diazepam pensa than you should

In case of overdose or accidental ingestion, consult your doctor or pharmacist immediately, or call the Toxicology Information Service, phone 91. 562.04.20, indicating the medication and the amount ingested.

If you forget to take Diazepam pensa

Do not take a double dose to compensate for the missed doses. Instead, continue with the normal dose.

If you interrupt treatment with Diazepam pensa

Upon cessation of administration, restlessness, anxiety, insomnia, lack of concentration, headache, and hot flashes may appear. It is generally not recommended to stop medication abruptly, but rather to gradually reduce the dose, as instructed by your doctor.

If you have any other doubts about the use of this medication, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Like all medicines, this medicine may cause side effects, although not everyone will experience them.

If you consider that any of the side effects you experience are severe or if you notice any side effect not mentioned in this leaflet, inform your doctor or pharmacist.

Most patients tolerate this medicine well, but the most common side effects, which occur especially at the beginning of treatment, are fatigue, muscle weakness, and drowsiness.

Occasionally, other side effects such as confusion, decreased alertness, loss of sensation, dizziness, emotional disturbances, mood changes, constipation, depression, double vision, ataxia (inability to coordinate voluntary muscle movements), difficulty articulating words, digestive changes, heart rhythm changes, headache, hypotension, circulatory changes, changes in libido (sexual desire), nausea, dry mouth or excessive salivation, urinary incontinence or retention, skin eruptions, stuttering, tremors, vertigo, and blurred vision have been described. The most common skin reactions are inflammation (skin inflammation), urticaria (red itchy patches), and pruritus (uncomfortable skin itching that causes the desire to scratch the affected area).

Very rarely, increased transaminases and alkaline phosphatase, jaundice (yellowish discoloration of the skin and eyes), and cardiac arrest have been reported.

An increased risk of falls and fractures has been observed in elderly patients and in patients taking other sedatives (including alcoholic beverages) at the same time.

Heart failure, respiratory depression, including respiratory insufficiency, may occur.

It is known that when benzodiazepines are used, side effects on behavior such as restlessness, disorientation, agitation, irritability, delirium (incoherent ideas), outbursts of anger, aggression, nervousness, hostility, anxiety, nightmares, abnormal dreams, hallucinations, psychosis (loss of contact with reality), hyperactivity, or inappropriate behavior may occur. These reactions are more common in the elderly and in children. If you experience these side effects, you should discontinue treatment and contact your doctor immediately.

On the other hand, the use of benzodiazepines can lead to dependence, mainly when the medication is taken continuously for a long time. It is generally not recommended to stop treatment abruptly, always following the doctor's instructions.

Amnesia (difficulty remembering recent events) may appear at normal doses, and the risk increases with increased doses. Amnestic effects may be associated with behavioral changes.

If any other reaction not described in this leaflet is observed, consult your doctor or pharmacist.

Reporting of side effects

If you experience any type of side effect, consult your doctor or pharmacist, even if it is a possible side effect not mentioned in this leaflet. You can also report them directly through the Spanish System for Pharmacovigilance of Medicines for Human Use: 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 packaging after CAD. The expiration date is the last day of the month indicated.

This medication does not require special storage conditions.

Medications should not be disposed of through drains or trash. Dispose of packaging and medications you no longer need at the SIGRE collection point at the pharmacy. Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of packaging and medications you no longer need. This will help protect the environment.

Diazepam pensa Composition

• The active ingredient is diazepam. Each tablet contains 10 mg of diazepam.
• The other components are lactose monohydrate, cornstarch, magnesium stearate, low-substitution hydroxypropylcellulose, and indigotin lake (E-132).

Appearance of the product and contents of the packaging

The tablets are blue, round, biconvex, with a breaking bar and printed with “D 10” on one side and smooth on the other.

Diazepam pensa 10 mg tablets are available in blister packs (Aluminum/PVC) of 25 and 30 tablets.

Marketing authorization holder and responsible manufacturer

Marketing authorization holder :

Towa Pharmaceutical, S.A.

C/ de Sant Martí, 75-97

08107 Martorelles (Barcelona)

Spain

Responsible manufacturer :

LABORATORIOS NORMON, S.A.

Ronda de Valdecarrizo, 6 - 28760 Tres Cantos - Madrid (SPAIN)

Last review date of this leaflet: September 2022

The detailed and updated information on this medication is available on the website of the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS) http://www.aemps.gob.es/