WARNINGS
Tigan® may produce drowsiness. Patients should not
operate motor vehicles or other dangerous machinery until their individual
responses have been determined.
Usage In Pregnancy
Trimethobenzamide hydrochloride was studied in
reproduction experiments in rats and rabbits and no teratogenicity was
suggested. The only effects observed were an increased percentage of embryonic resorptions
or stillborn pups in rats administered 20 mg and 100 mg/kg and increased resorptions
in rabbits receiving 100 mg/kg. In each study these adverse effects were
attributed to one or two dams. The relevance to humans is not known. Since
there is no adequate experience in pregnant or lactating women who have
received this drug, safety in pregnancy or in nursing mothers has not been
established.
Usage With Alcohol
Concomitant use of alcohol with Tigan® may result in an
adverse drug interaction.
PRECAUTIONS
During the course of acute febrile illness,
encephalitides, gastroenteritis, dehydration and electrolyte imbalance,
especially in children and the elderly or debilitated, CNS reactions such as
opisthotonos, convulsions, coma and extrapyramidal symptoms have been reported
with and without use of Tigan® (trimethobenzamide hydrochloride) or other
antiemetic agents. In such disorders caution should be exercised in
administering Tigan®, particularly to patients who have recently received other
CNSacting agents (phenothiazines, barbiturates, belladonna derivatives).
Primary emphasis should be directed toward the restoration of body fluids and
electrolyte balance, the relief of fever and relief of the causative disease
process. Overhydration should be avoided since it may result in cerebral edema.
The antiemetic effects of Tigan® may render diagnosis
more difficult in such conditions as appendicitis and obscure signs of toxicity
due to overdosage of other drugs.
General
Adjustment of Dose in Renal Failure
A substantial route of elimination of unchanged
trimethobenzamide is via the kidney. Dosage adjustment should be considered in
patients with reduced renal function including some elderly patients. (See CLINICAL
PHARMACOLOGY and DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION).
Geriatric Use
Clinical studies of trimethobenzamide hydrochloride did
not include sufficient numbers of patients aged 65 and over to determine
whether they respond differently from younger patients. Although there are studies
reported in the literature that include elderly patients > 65 years old with
younger patients, it is not known if there are differences in efficacy or
safety parameters for elderly and non-elderly patients treated with
trimethobenzamide. In general, dose selection for an elderly patient should be
cautious, usually starting at the low end of the dosing range, reflecting the
greater frequency of decreased hepatic, renal, or cardiac function, and of
concomitant disease or other drug therapy.
This drug is known to be substantially excreted by the
kidney, and the risk of toxic reactions to this drug may be greater in patients
with impaired renal function. Because elderly patients are more likely to have decreased
renal function, care should be taken in dose selection, and it may be useful to
monitor renal function. (See CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY and DOSAGE AND
ADMINISTRATION).