Varenicline Tartrate
Warnings
What may interact with Varenicline?
-alcohol
-insulin
-other medicines used to help people quit smoking
-theophylline
-warfarin
What should I tell my health care provider before I take Varenicline?
They need to know if you have any of these conditions:
-heart disease
-if you often drink alcohol
-kidney disease
-mental illness
-on hemodialysis
-seizures
-history of stroke
-suicidal thoughts, plans, or attempt; a previous suicide attempt by you or a family member
-an unusual or allergic reaction to varenicline, other medicines, foods, dyes, or preservatives
-pregnant or trying to get pregnant
-breast-feeding
What should I watch for while using Varenicline?
It is okay if you do not succeed at your attempt to quit and have a cigarette. You can still continue your quit attempt and keep using this medicine as directed. Just throw away your cigarettes and get back to your quit plan.
Talk to your health care provider before using other treatments to quit smoking. Using this medicine with other treatments to quit smoking may increase the risk for side effects compared to using a treatment alone.
You may get drowsy or dizzy. Do not drive, use machinery, or do anything that needs mental alertness until you know how this medicine affects you. Do not stand or sit up quickly, especially if you are an older patient. This reduces the risk of dizzy or fainting spells.
Decrease the number of alcoholic beverages that you drink during treatment with this medicine until you know if this medicine affects your ability to tolerate alcohol. Some people have experienced increased drunkenness (intoxication), unusual or sometimes aggressive behavior, or no memory of things that have happened (amnesia) during treatment with this medicine.
Sleepwalking can happen during treatment with this medicine, and can sometimes lead to behavior that is harmful to you, other people, or property. Stop taking this medicine and tell your doctor if you start sleepwalking or have other unusual sleep-related activity.
After taking this medicine, you may get up out of bed and do an activity that you do not know you are doing. The next morning, you may have no memory of this. Activities include driving a car ("sleep-driving"), making and eating food, talking on the phone, sexual activity, and sleep-walking. Serious injuries have occurred. Stop the medicine and call your doctor right away if you find out you have done any of these activities. Do not take this medicine if you have used alcohol that evening. Do not take it if you have taken another medicine for sleep. The risk of doing these sleep-related activities is higher.
Patients and their families should watch out for new or worsening depression or thoughts of suicide. Also watch out for sudden changes in feelings such as feeling anxious, agitated, panicky, irritable, hostile, aggressive, impulsive, severely restless, overly excited and hyperactive, or not being able to sleep. If this happens, call your health care professional.
If you have diabetes and you quit smoking, the effects of insulin may be increased and you may need to reduce your insulin dose. Check with your doctor or health care professional about how you should adjust your insulin dose.
Where should I keep my medicine?
Keep out of the reach of children.
Store at room temperature between 15 and 30 degrees C (59 and 86 degrees F). Throw away any unused medicine after the expiration date.
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