Patient leaflet - PARLODEL 2.5 MG TABLETS, BROMOCRIPTINE 2.5 MG TABLETS
|3. HOW TO TAKE PARLODEL
Always take Parlodel exactly as your doctor has told you.
Important:
Your doctor will choose the dose that is right for you or your child. The dose will be shown clearly on the label that your pharmacist puts on the medicine. If it does not, or you are not sure, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Remember: Always take this medicine with a meal.
Adults and Children between 7 and 17 years old:
For most diseases, your doctor will start you or your child on a low dose of Parlodel, and then gradually increase the dose as necessary. This will help the body adjust to the new medicine and stop you or your child from getting so many side effects. You should always follow the advice of your doctor about increasing the dose of the medicine.
As the dose changes, tablets and capsules may need to be taken together to get to the right dose. You may also need to break the tablets in half along the line down the middle. Your doctor or pharmacist will tell you how to do this. Never break the capsules in half.
The maximum dose for children aged 7–12 years is 5 to 10 mg, depending on the condition they are being treated for. The maximum dose for children aged 13–17 years is 20 mg.
If you are a woman, your doctor will advise you when in your menstrual cycle you should start to take this medicine.
The elderly:
If you are elderly, your doctor may suggest you take a slightly lower dose than the usual adult dose. This is because you are more likely to have kidney, liver and heart problems or be taking other medicines, which will change how well Parlodel works.
Patients with liver problems:
Your doctor will tell you how much to take.
Medical check-ups
When you are taking this medicine, your doctor may ask you to come for check-ups which may include:
- An ultrasound of your heart (an echocardiogram).
This is to ensure that your heart is working properly and to check for fibrotic reactions. If fibrotic reactions occur, your doctor may stop your treatment with Parlodel
- Blood pressure checks. This is important when you first start to take this medicine
- If you are a woman and you have been taking Parlodel for a long time you may have six monthly gynaecological
exams and cervical smear tests
- Eye sight checks
- If you are taking Parlodel for a disease involving a tumour, the size, shape and type of tumour may be checked regularly.
If you take more Parlodel than you should
Do not take more Parlodel than you should. If you accidentally take too much of your medicine, immediately tell your doctor or go to the nearest hospital casualty department. Taking too much Parlodel may make you feel or be sick, have a fever or become abnormally tired.
If you forget to take Parlodel
Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose. Simply take the next dose as planned.
If you stop taking Parlodel
It is important to talk to your doctor if you want to stop taking your medicine. If you stop suddenly, you may get withdrawal symptoms including confusion, a reduced attention span and stiffness.
If you have any further questions about taking this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
. POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS
Like all medicines, Parlodel can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
Seek immediate medical help if you have any of the following symptoms:
- You have a headache which does not go away, or is severe
- You get any problems with your eyesight after giving birth
- You feel faint, dizzy or have blurred vision
- You have blood in your stools. They may look black and tarry
- You vomit blood or dark particles that look like coffee granules
- You have severe pains in your stomach
- You have difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, swollen legs, chest or back pain.
Common side effects (affect less than 1 in 10 people):
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Drowsiness
- Feeling and being sick
- Constipation
- Blocked nose.
Uncommon side effects (affect less than 1 in 100 people):
- Restlessness
- Confusion or hallucinations
- Dry mouth
- Dizziness or light-headedness upon standing which may cause you to collapse (you may have low blood pressure)
- Leg cramps
- Itchy, red or swollen skin
- Hair loss
- Tiredness.
Rare side effects (affect less than 1 in 1000 people):
- Extreme drowsiness
- Insomnia (trouble sleeping)
- Pins and needles
- Mental health problems
- Diarrhoea
- Inability to pass water and back pain
- Irregular heart beat including an abnormally slow or fast beating of the heart
- Lung problems that may cause difficulty breathing, a shortness of breath, pain when you breath in, or a cough
that doesn’t go away
- Swelling of the ankles
- Disturbed or blurred vision
- Watery discharge from your nose
- Ringing in your ears.
Very rare side effects (affect less than 1 in 10,000 people):
- Heart valve disorders such as inflammation or leaking of fluid in the heart – these may cause difficulty breathing, chest pains, weakness and swelling of the legs and ankles
- Extreme drowsiness during the day or falling asleep unexpectedly
- Pale or white fingers and toes, caused by cold temperatures.
You may experience the following side effects:
Inability to resist the impulse, drive or temptation to perform an action that could be harmful to you or others, which may include:
- strong impulse to gamble excessively despite serious personal or family consequences
- altered or increased sexual interest and behaviour of significant concern to you or to others, for example, an increased sexual drive
- uncontrollable excessive shopping or spending
- binge eating (eating large amounts of food in a short time period) or compulsive eating (eating more food than normal and more than is needed to satisfy your hunger)
Tell your doctor if you experience any of these behaviours; they will discuss ways of managing or reducing the symptoms.
If you have just given birth, you may be more at risk of certain conditions. These are very rare, but may include high blood pressure, heart attack, convulsion, stroke or mental problems.
Reporting of side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at: or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store. By reporting side effects, you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
5. how to store parlodel
- Leave your tablets in the blister. Only remove them when it is time to take your medicine.
- Do not store above 25°C. Protect from light. Store in the original package.
- Keep out of the sight and reach of children.
- Do not use this medicine after the expiry date shown on the carton. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
- If the tablets become discoloured or show signs of any deterioration, you should seek the advice of your pharmacist who will tell you what to do.
- Medicines should not be thrown away in waste water or in household waste. Return any medicine you no longer need to your pharmacist.
To request a copy of this leaflet in Braille, large print or audio please call 01923 332 796.