$Unique_ID{BRK02022}
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$Title{METHAMPHETAMINE}
$Subject{Desoxyn (Abbott)
Desoxyn Gradumets (Abbott)}
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Copyright (C) 1991 Publications International, Ltd.


METHAMPHETAMINE
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BRAND NAMES (Manufacturers):
     Desoxyn (Abbott)
     Desoxyn Gradumets (Abbott)
TYPE OF DRUG:
     Amphetamine
INGREDIENT:
     methamphetamine
DOSAGE FORMS:
     Tablets (5 mg)
     Sustained-release tablets (5 mg, 10 mg, and 15 mg)
STORAGE:
     Methamphetamine should be stored at room temperature in a tightly closed
       container.

USES

     This medication is a central nervous system stimulant that increases
mental alertness and decreases fatigue.  It is used to treat narcolepsy (a
disorder involving uncontrollable desires to sleep or actual sleep attacks
that occur in a rapid and unpredictable manner) and abnormal behavioral
syndrome in children (hyperkinetic syndrome or attention deficit disorder).
The way this medication acts to control abnormal behavioral syndrome in
children is not clearly understood.
     Methamphetamine is also used as an appetite suppressant during the first
few weeks of dieting (while you are trying to establish new eating habits).
It is thought to relieve hunger by altering nerve impulses to the appetite
control center in the brain.  Its effectiveness as an appetite suppressant
lasts for only short periods (three to 12 weeks), however.

TREATMENT

     In order to avoid stomach upset, you can take methamphetamine with food
or with a full glass of milk or water (unless your doctor directs you to do
otherwise).
     If this medication is being used to treat narcolepsy or abnormal
behavioral syndrome in children, the first dose each day should be taken soon
after awakening.  Subsequent doses should be spaced at four- to six-hour
intervals.
     If this medication has been prescribed as a diet aid, it should be taken
one hour before each meal.
     The sustained-release form of this medication should be swallowed whole.
Breaking, chewing, or crushing these tablets destroys their sustained-release
activity and may increase the side effects.
     In order to avoid difficulty in falling asleep, the last dose of this
medication each day should be taken four to six hours before bedtime (tablets)
or ten to 14 hours before bedtime (sustained-release tablets).
     If you miss a dose of this drug, take the missed dose as soon as
possible, unless it is time for your next dose.  In that case, do not take the
missed dose at all; just return to your regular dosing schedule.  Do not
double the next dose.

SIDE EFFECTS

     Minor.

     Abdominal cramps, constipation, diarrhea, dizziness, dry mouth, false
sense of well-being, insomnia, irritability, loss of appetite, nausea,
restlessness, unpleasant taste in the mouth, or vomiting.  These side effects
should disappear as your body adjusts to the medication.
     In order to prevent constipation, increase the amount of fiber in your
diet (fresh fruits and vegetables, salads, bran, and whole-grain breads),
exercise, and drink more water (unless your doctor directs you to do
otherwise).
     Dry mouth can be relieved by sucking on ice chips or a piece of hard
candy or by chewing sugarless gum.
     If you feel dizzy, sit or lie down for a while; get up from a sitting or
lying position slowly, and be careful on stairs.

     Major.

     Tell your doctor about any side effects that are persistent or
particularly bothersome.  IT IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT TO TELL YOUR DOCTOR about
blurred vision, confusion, fatigue, headaches, impotence, mental depression,
palpitations, rash, sweating, tightness in the chest, tremors, or
uncoordinated movements.

INTERACTIONS

     Methamphetamine interacts with several other types of medications:
     1. Use of it within 14 days of a monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor
(isocarboxazid, pargyline, phenelzine, tranylcypromine) can result in high
blood pressure and other side effects.
     2. Barbiturate medications, phenothiazine tranquilizers (especially
chlorpromazine), and tricyclic antidepressants can antagonize (act against)
this medication.
     3. Amphetamines (such as methamphetamine) can decrease the
blood-pressure-lowering effects of antihypertensive medication (especially
guanethidine) and may alter insulin and oral antidiabetic medication dosage
requirements in diabetic patients.
     4. The side effects of other central nervous system stimulants, such as
caffeine, over-the-counter (nonprescription) appetite suppressants, and
asthma, allergy, cough, sinus, or cold preparations may be increased by
methamphetamine.
     5. Acetazolamide and sodium bicarbonate can decrease the elimination of
methamphetamine from the body, thereby prolonging its action and increasing
the risk of side effects.
     BE SURE TO TELL YOUR DOCTOR about any medications you are currently
taking, especially any of those listed above.

WARNINGS

     * Tell your doctor about unusual or allergic reactions you have had to
any medications, especially to methamphetamine or other central nervous system
stimulants (such as albuterol, amphetamine, dextroamphetamine, ephedrine,
isoproterenol, metaproterenol, norepinephrine, phenylephrine,
phenylpropanolamine, pseudoephedrine, and terbutaline).
     * Tell your doctor if you have a history of drug abuse or if you have
ever had problems with agitation, diabetes mellitus, glaucoma, heart or blood
vessel disease, high blood pressure, or thyroid disease.
     * Methamphetamine can mask the symptoms of extreme fatigue and can cause
dizziness.  Your ability to perform tasks that require alertness, such as
driving a car or operating potentially dangerous machinery, may be decreased.
Appropriate caution should, therefore, be taken.
     * Before having surgery or any other medical or dental treatment, be sure
to tell your doctor or dentist that you are taking this medication.
     * Methamphetamine is related to amphetamine and may be habit-forming when
taken for long periods of time (both physical and psychological dependence can
occur).  Therefore, you should not increase the dosage of this medication or
take it for longer than 12 weeks, unless you first consult your doctor.  It is
also important that you not stop taking this medication abruptly; fatigue,
sleep disorders, mental depression, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, or pain
could occur.  Your doctor may, therefore, want to reduce your dosage
gradually.
     * Some of these products contain the color additive FD&C Yellow No. 5
(tartrazine), which can cause allergic-type reactions (rash, fainting,
difficulty in breathing) in certain susceptible individuals.
     * Long-term methamphetamine use in children may cause unwanted effects on
growth.  The benefits and risks of the drug should be thoroughly discussed
before treatment begins.
     * Be sure to tell your doctor if you are pregnant.  Although side effects
in humans have not been studied, some of the amphetamines can cause heart,
brain, and biliary tract abnormalities in the fetuses of animals that receive
large doses of these drugs during pregnancy.  Also, tell your doctor if you
are breast-feeding an infant.  Small amounts of this type of drug pass into
breast milk and can cause excessive stimulation in nursing infants.

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The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace 
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your 
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical 
problem.
