Cisapride

Cisapride is only available in the United States to special patients who are signed up by their doctors. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about whether you should be taking cisapride.

Cisapride may cause serious irregular heart beats, which can lead to death. Tell your doctor if you have a family history of heart problems and if you have or have ever had irregular heart beats, heart disease, severe dehydration, vomiting, eating disorders, or kidney or lung failure.

Tell your doctor about all the prescription and nonprescription medications you are taking. Do not take cisapride if you are taking bepridil (Vascor); chlorpromazine (Thorazine); clarithromycin (Biaxin); erythromycin (E.E.S., E-Mycin, Ery-Tab); fluconazole (Diflucan); fluphenazine (Prolixin); itraconazole (Sporanox); ketoconazole (Nizoral); medications for depression such as amitriptyline (Elavil), amoxapine (Asendin), clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin), doxepin (Adapin, Sinequan), imipramine (Tofranil), maprotiline (Ludiomil), nefazodone (Serzone), nortriptyline (Pamelor), protriptyline (Vivactil), and trimipramine (Surmontil); medications for irregular heart beats such as amiodarone (Cordarone), disopyramide (Norpace), quinidine (Quinidex), procainamide (Procanbid, Pronestyl), and sotalol (Betapace); mesoridazine (Serentil); perphenazine (Trilafon); prochlorperazine (Compazine); promethazine (Phenergan); protease inhibitors such as indinavir (Crixivan) and ritonavir (Norvir); sertindole (Serlect); sparfloxacin (Zagam); thioridazine (Mellaril); thiothixene (Navane); trifluoperazine (Stelazine); or troleandomycin (Tao). Do not drink grapefruit juice while taking cisapride.

Do not take more of cisapride or take it more often than prescibed by your doctor. Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. Your doctor will order certain lab tests to check your body’s response to cisapride.

If you experience either of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately: fainting or irregular or fast heartbeats.

🔔 Why is this medication prescribed?

Cisapride is used to treat symptoms of nighttime heartburn in people who have not responded to other treatments.

Just under half – 49% – of Americans get their health insurance through their employer, according to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Another 19% of Americans are insured under Medicaid, 14% under Medicare, seven% under non-group plans and two% under other public insurers, while nine% of U.S. citizens remain uninsured.

🔔 How should this medicine be used?

Cisapride comes as a tablet and liquid to take by mouth. Cisapride usually is taken four times a day, 15 minutes before meals and at bedtime. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take cisapride exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.

🔔 Other uses for this medicine

This medication should not be prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

🔔 What special precautions should I follow?

Before taking cisapride,

• tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to cisapride or any other drugs.
• in addition to the medications listed in the IMPORTANT WARNING section, tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications you are taking, especially antianxiety medications, anticholinergics (atropine, belladonna, benztropine, dicyclomine, diphenhydramine, isopropamide, procyclidine, and scopolamine), anticoagulants (‘blood thinners’) such as warfarin (Coumadin), azithromycin (Zithromax), cimetidine (Tagamet), dirithromycin (Dynabac), diuretics (‘water pills’), miconazole (Monistat), tranquilizers, and vitamins.
• tell your doctor if you have or have ever had intestinal disorders or bleeding ulcers.
• tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while taking cisapride, call your doctor.
• you should know that this drug may make you drowsy. Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how this drug affects you.
• remember that alcohol can add to the drowsiness caused by this drug.

🔔 What should I do if I forget a dose?

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember it. However, if it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and continue your regular dosing schedule. Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed one.

🔔 What side effects can this medication cause?

Cisapride may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

• diarrhea
• upset stomach
• stomach discomfort
• headache
• stuffy nose
• constipation
• coughing

If you experience any of the following symptoms or those listed in the IMPORTANT WARNING section call your doctor immediately:

• vision changes
• chest pain

If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor may send a report to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online (http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch) or by phone (1-800-332-1088).

🔔 What should I know about storage and disposal of this medication?

Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture (not in the bathroom).

It is important to keep all medication out of sight and reach of children as many containers (such as weekly pill minders and those for eye drops, creams, patches, and inhalers) are not child-resistant and young children can open them easily. To protect young children from poisoning, always lock safety caps and immediately place the medication in a safe location – one that is up and away and out of their sight and reach. http://www.upandaway.org

Unneeded medications should be disposed of in special ways to ensure that pets, children, and other people cannot consume them. However, you should not flush this medication down the toilet. Instead, the best way to dispose of your medication is through a medicine take-back program. Talk to your pharmacist or contact your local garbage/recycling department to learn about take-back programs in your community. See the FDA’s Safe Disposal of Medicines website (http://goo.gl/c4Rm4p) for more information if you do not have access to a take-back program.

🔔 In case of emergency/overdose

In case of overdose, call the poison control helpline at 1-800-222-1222. Information is also available online at https://www.poisonhelp.org/help. If the victim has collapsed, had a seizure, has trouble breathing, or can’t be awakened, immediately call emergency services at 911.

🔔 What other information should I know?

Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. Your doctor will order certain lab tests to check your response to cisapride.

Do not let anyone else take your medicine. Ask your pharmacist any questions you have about refilling your prescription.

It is important for you to keep a written list of all of the prescription and nonprescription (over-the-counter) medicines you are taking, as well as any products such as vitamins, minerals, or other dietary supplements. You should bring this list with you each time you visit a doctor or if you are admitted to a hospital. It is also important information to carry with you in case of emergencies.