$Unique_ID{BRK01921}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{DEXTROAMPHETAMINE}
$Subject{Dexedrine (Smith Kline & French)
Dexedrine Spansules (Smith Kline & French)
dextroamphetamine sulfate (various manufacturers)
Oxydess II (Vortech)
Spancap No. 1 (Vortech)}
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Copyright (C) 1991 Publications International, Ltd.


DEXTROAMPHETAMINE
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BRAND NAMES (Manufacturers):
     Dexedrine (Smith Kline & French)
     Dexedrine Spansules (Smith Kline & French)
     dextroamphetamine sulfate (various manufacturers)
     Oxydess II (Vortech)
     Spancap No. 1 (Vortech)
TYPE OF DRUG:
     Amphetamine
INGREDIENT:
     dextroamphetamine
DOSAGE FORMS:
     Tablets (5 mg, 10 mg, and 15 mg)
     Capsules (15 mg)
     Sustained-release capsules (5 mg, 10 mg, and 15 mg)
     Oral elixir (5 mg per 5-ml spoonful, with 10% alcohol)
STORAGE:
     Dextroamphetamine tablets, capsules, and oral elixir should be stored at
       room temperature in tightly closed containers.

USES

     This medication is a central nervous system stimulant that increases
mental alertness and decreases fatigue.  It is used to treat narcolepsy
(problems in staying awake) 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.
     Dextroamphetamine 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 only for short periods (three to 12 weeks), however.

TREATMENT

     In order to avoid stomach upset, you can take dextroamphetamine 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 oral elixir form of this medication should be measured carefully with
a specially designed 5-ml measuring spoon.  An ordinary kitchen teaspoon is
not accurate enough.
     The sustained-release form of this medication should be swallowed whole.
Breaking, chewing, or crushing these capsules 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
and capsules) or ten to 14 hours before bedtime (sustained-release capsules).
     If you miss a dose of this medication, take the missed dose as soon as
possible, unless it is almost 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, loss of appetite, irritability, nausea,
overstimulation, restlessness, unpleasant taste in the mouth, or vomiting.
These side effects should disappear as your body adjusts to the drug.
     To prevent constipation, increase the amount of fiber in your diet (fresh
fruits and vegetables, bran, salads, and whole-grain cereals and 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,
nosebleeds, palpitations, rash, sweating, tightness in the chest, tremors, or
uncoordinated movements.

INTERACTIONS

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

WARNINGS

     * Tell your doctor about unusual or allergic reactions you have had to
any medications, especially to dextroamphetamine or other central nervous
system stimulants (such as albuterol, amphetamine, ephedrine, epinephrine,
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.
     * Dextroamphetamine 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 equipment, may be
decreased.  Appropriate caution should, therefore, be taken.
     * Before surgery or other medical or dental treatment, tell your doctor
or dentist you are taking this drug.
     * Dextroamphetamine 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
decrease the dosage gradually in order to prevent these side effects.
     * Some of these products contain the color additive FD&C Yellow No. 5
(tartrazine), which can cause allergic-type reactions (difficulty in
breathing, fainting, rash, wheezing) in certain susceptible individuals.
     * Be sure to tell your doctor if you are pregnant.  Although side effects
in humans have not been thoroughly studied, some of the amphetamines have
caused heart, brain, and biliary tract abnormalities in the fetuses of animals
that received large doses of these drugs during pregnancy.  Also, tell your
doctor if you are breast-feeding an infant.  Small amounts of this drug pass
into breast milk.

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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.
