What Is Meridia Used For? Meridia should be used by people who are overweight and have an inital body mass index of at least 30. It is recommended that Meridia also be used by people with BMI of at least 27 if they are at risk for high cholesterol, diabetes, or high blood pressure. Talk to your doctor to find out your BMI and whether or not it's alright for you to use a Meridia prescription. How Do I Use It? Meridia should be taken orally and in the exact way directed by your doctor. This usually involves one dose daily. It may take 4-6 weeks for results to show. Please do not raise your dose, take Meridia more frequently, or use your prescription for a longer time than prescribed by your doctor; Meridia can be addictive. If you have taken Meridia for a long time, please do not stop taking it suddenly without talking to your doctor first. As with many prescription drugs, Meridia may gradually decrease in effectiveness because your body builds tolerance to it. Talk to your doctor if you gain weight after you start taking your prescription. You make take it either before or after a meal. Are There Any Meridia Side Effects? The common side effects of Meridia include dry mouth, sleepiness, difficulty sleeping, and constipation. If any of the effects persist beyond the first week (approximately) or become worse, please tell your doctor as soon as possible. Read more on this warning here. Please do not give your medication to others. Your Meridia prescription should be taken in combination with a diet plan of reduced calories. In order to monitor the possible side effects, your pulse and blood pressure can be measured and used in laboratory testing. Is Meridia Safe? Let your doctor know about your complete medical history. This includes any information regarding allergies (most importantly drug allergies), disease of the liver or kidneys, heart disease, history of stroke or seizures, high blood pressure, eating disorders (ex., anorexia nervosa), glaucoma, or gallstones. Limit or avoid your intake of alcohol because it could make certain side effects worse. Women who are of the childbearing age should talk to their doctor about using any birth control pills with Meridia. Unless directed otherwise, do not use this drug while you are pregnant. Also, because there is a risk for infants, do not breastfeed while taking Meridia. Patients who are elderly may experienced heightened levels of side effects. Please use with cautious. How Does Meridia Interact With Other Drugs? Make sure you tell your doctor about all prescription and nonprescription medications you use; other weight loss medications in particular (such as diethylpropion), and drugs that may raise your blood pressure. Examples of these include decongestants such as pseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine. Tell your doctor if you use any cough suppressants like dextromethorphan; antidepressants such as nefazodone; fluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine, venlafaxine, and fluvoxamine. Other examples include lithium, MAO inhibitors such as selegiline, moclobemide, furazolidone, phenelzine, tranylcypromine, and other medications such as lithium. You should also let your doctor know if you use any drugs to treat migraines (ex: dihydroergotamine and sumatriptan), certain pain relievers that are narcotics (ex. pentazocine, fentanyl, meperidine), erythromycin, ketoconazole. Also tell your doctor about any high blood pressure medicines you use, and any other drugs that may cause drowsiness. These include certain types of antihistamines (ex., diphenhydramine), anti-seizure, and sedative medications. You can find antihistamines and decongestants for cough and cold in many nonprescription drugs. Talk to your pharmacist about this. Also, MAO Inhibitors and Meridia should not be taken together. If you stop the use of your Meridia prescription or an MAO Inhibitor, make sure to wait 2 weeks before you start using the other drug. What If I Miss My Dose? In the case that you miss one of your doses, please take it as soon as possible. However, if it is near the scheduled time for your next dose, just skip the dose missed and start back with your prescribed dosing schedule. Do not take twice the normal dose to make up for a missed dose. How Should I Store Meridia? Store your prescription at room temperature. This includes temperatures between 59 and 86 degrees F (15-30 degrees C). Keep it away from humidity/moisture and light. Make sure to keep all of your medications out of reach of children. What Else Should I Know? Do not share any of your prescription with people. Meridia should be used along with a diet plan of reduced calories. Your pulse and blood pressure can be taken/measured along with laboratory tests to monitor side effects. |
