General Information
STELAX
contains the active ingredient baclofen
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Consumer Medicine Information
What is in this leaflet
This leaflet answers some common questions about STELAX.‑
It does not contain all of the available information. It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.‑
All medicines have benefits and risks. Your doctor has weighed the risks of you taking STELAX against the benefits they expect it will have for you.‑
If you have any concerns about taking this medicine, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.‑
Keep this leaflet with your medicine. You may need to read it again.‑‑
What STELAX is used for
STELAX is used to treat muscle spasms that occur in various illnesses such as multiple sclerosis and diseases and injuries of the spinal cord.‑
STELAX belongs to a group of medicines called muscle relaxants. These medicines reduce excess tension in your muscles that cause spasms and pain. Reducing these spasms may help to increase your mobility and make everyday activities easier to manage.‑
Your doctor may have prescribed STELAX for another reason. Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why STELAX has been prescribed for you.‑
STELAX is available only with a doctor's prescription.‑
Before you take STELAX
When you must not take it‑
Do not take STELAX if you are allergic to medicines containing baclofen or any of the ingredients listed at the end of this leaflet.‑
Do not take STELAX if the expiry date (Exp.) printed on the pack has passed.‑
Do not take STELAX if the packaging shows signs of tampering or the tablets do not look quite right.‑‑
Before you start to take it‑
Tell your doctor if you are allergic to any other medicines, foods, dyes or preservatives.‑
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Your doctor will discuss the risks and benefits of taking STELAX during pregnancy.‑
Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or wish to breastfeed. Your doctor will discuss the risks and benefits of taking STELAX when breastfeeding.‑
Tell your doctor if you have, or have had, any medical conditions, especially the following:
a mental illness
eilepsy or fits
stomach ulcers
stroke or other blood vessel disease
heart disease
liver disease
kidney disease
lung or breathing problems
diabetes
alcoholism
high blood pressure
porphyria, a rare blood disorder.‑‑
If you have not told your doctor about any of the above, tell them before you start taking STELAX.‑‑
Taking other medicines‑
Tell your doctor if you are taking any other medicines, including any that you buy without a prescription from a pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop. Some medicines may be affected by STELAX, or may affect how well it works. These include:
medicines used to treat diabetes
medicines used to treat high blood pressure
medicines used to treat depression such as tricyclic antidepressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitors
lithium, a medicine used to treat mental illness
levodopa and carbidopa, medicines used to treat Parkinson's disease
any medicine that can make you sleepy, such as medicines to help you sleep or calm you down, pain relievers and medicines for colds and allergies.‑
Your doctor can tell you what to do if you are taking any of these medicines.‑
If you are not sure whether you are taking any of these medicines, check with your doctor or pharmacist.‑
Your doctor and pharmacist have more information on medicines to be careful with or avoid while taking STELAX.‑‑
How to take STELAX
How much to take‑
Treatment with STELAX is usually started in hospital with a small dose which is gradually increased to a dose that has the best result for you.‑
Your doctor will tell you how many tablets you need to take each day and when to take them. ‑
Follow all directions given to you by your doctor and pharmacist carefully.‑‑
How to take STELAX‑
Take STELAX during or immediately after food with a little glass of water. This will lessen the chance of a stomach upset.‑‑
If you forget to take STELAX‑
If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the dose you missed and take your next dose when you are meant to.‑
Otherwise, take the missed dose as soon as you remember, and then go back to taking your tablets as you would normally.‑
Do not take a double dose to make up for the dose you missed.‑
If you are not sure what to do, ask your doctor or pharmacist.‑‑
How long to take STELAX for‑
To properly control your condition, STELAX must be taken every day.‑
Keep taking STELAX for as long as your doctor recommends.‑‑
If you take too much STELAX (overdose)‑
Immediately telephone your doctor, or the Poisons Information Centre (telephone 13 11 26), or go to Accident and Emergency at the nearest hospital, if you think you or anyone else may have taken too much STELAX. Do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning. You may need urgent medical attention.‑
If you take too much STELAX, you may feel dizzy, weak or confused, have blurred vision, vomiting, diarrhoea, breathing problems, faint or have fits.‑‑
While you are taking STELAX
Things you must do‑
Before starting any new medicine, tell your doctor or pharmacist that you are taking STELAX.‑
Tell all the doctors, dentists and pharmacists who are treating you that you are taking STELAX.‑
If you become pregnant while taking STELAX, tell your doctor.‑
Visit your doctor regularly so they can check on your progress. To help prevent unwanted side effects from happening, your doctor may want to do some tests from time to time during the course of your treatment.‑‑
Things you must not do‑
Do not stop taking STELAX suddenly, or lower the dose, without checking with your doctor. Stopping STELAX suddenly may cause severe spasms and other unwanted symptoms. Your doctor may want you to gradually reduce the amount of STELAX you are taking before stopping completely.‑
Do not use STELAX to treat any other conditions unless your doctor tells you to.‑
Do not give STELAX to anyone else, even if they have the same condition as you.‑‑
Things to be careful of‑
Be careful driving or operating machinery until you know how STELAX affects you. STELAX may cause drowsiness or decrease alertnessness in some people. If either of these occur, do not drive, operate machinery or do anything else that could be dangerous.‑
Be careful when drinking alcohol while taking STELAX. Combining STELAX and alcohol can make you more drowsy and less alert.‑‑
Side effects
Tell your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are taking STELAX.‑
Like all other medicines, STELAX may have unwanted side effects in some people. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time they are not. You may need medical treatment if you get some of the side effects.‑
If you are over 65 years of age, you may have an increased chance of getting side effects.‑
Do not be alarmed by this list of possible side effects.
You may not experience any of them.‑
Ask your doctor or pharmacist to answer any questions you may have.‑
Tell your doctor if you notice any of the following and they worry you:
sleepiness or drowsiness
lack of energy, feeling exhausted
dizziness, lightheadedness
confusion
headache
difficulty sleeping, nightmares
feeling sick (nausea), vomiting
constipation, stomach pain, diarrhoea
change in taste
numbness or tingling in the hands or feet
muscle weakness, spasms or pain
problems with co-ordination or balance
blurred or double vision
ringing in the ears
frequent urination or bed wetting
excessive sweating
weight gain
impotence or inability to ejaculate‑
Tell your doctor immediately if you notice any of the following:
slow or difficult breathing
fast or irregular heartbeat
chest pain
uncontrolled muscle spasms affecting the eyes, head, neck or body
fainting or fits
depression or other severe mood changes or mental changes
hallucinations
inability to urinate, pain when urinating, blood in the urine.‑
Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some patients. Tell your doctor if you notice anything that is making you feel unwell.‑‑
After using STELAX
Storage‑
Keep STELAX where children cannot reach it. A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines.‑
Keep your tablets in a cool dry place where the temperature stays below 25°C.‑
Do not store STELAX or any other medicine in the bathroom or near a sink.‑
Do not leave STELAX in the car or on window sills. Heat and dampness can destroy some medicines.‑‑
Disposal‑
If your doctor tells you to stop taking STELAX, or your tablets have passed their expiry date, ask your pharmacist what to do with any that are left over.‑‑
Product description
What it looks like‑
STELAX comes in 2 strengths of tablets:
STELAX 10 - round off-white tablet marked BL?10 and >.
STELAX 25 - round off-white tablet marked BL?25 and >.‑
Each pack contains 100 tablets.‑‑
Ingredients‑
The active ingredient in STELAX is baclofen.
each STELAX 10 tablet contains 10 mg of baclofen
each STELAX 25 tablet contains 25 mg of baclofen.‑
The tablets also contain:
microcrystalline cellulose
maize starch
povidone
colloidal anhydrous silica
magnesium stearate.‑
The tablets are gluten free.‑‑
Manufacturer‑
Arrow Pharmaceuticals Limited
24 Rothschild Ave
Rosebery NSW 2018
Phone: (02) 8344 8344 (02) 8344 8344‑‑
Australian registration numbers:
STELAX 10 - Aust R 92251
STELAX 25 - Aust R 92252‑
Date of preparation: December 2002.‑
Published by MIMS/myDr May 2003
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