Visit your care team for regular checks on your progress. Tell your care team if your symptoms do not start to get better or if they get worse. Because it may take several weeks to see the full effects of this medication, it is important to continue your treatment as prescribed by your care team. Do not stop taking except on your care team's advice. You may develop a severe reaction. Your care team will tell you how much medication to take.
Patients and their families should watch out for new or worsening thoughts of suicide or depression. Also watch out for sudden changes in feelings such as feeling anxious, agitated, panicky, irritable, hostile, aggressive, impulsive, severely restless, overly excited and hyperactive, or not being able to sleep. If this happens, especially at the beginning of treatment or after a change in dose, call your care team.
If your care team increases the dose of this medication to more than 6 mg a day, ask about possible interactions with foods that contain tyramine because this medication may interact with these foods to produce severe headaches, a rise in blood pressure, or irregular heart beat. Continue to avoid tyramine-rich foods or beverages for 2 weeks after your care team reduces your medication to the 6 mg a day dose, or after you stop the 9 mg or 12 mg a day dose. If you start and continue the 6 mg dose, you do not need to make any diet changes.
You may get drowsy or dizzy. Do not drive, use machinery, or do anything that needs mental alertness until you know how this medication affects you. Do not stand or sit up quickly, especially if you are an older patient. This reduces the risk of dizzy or fainting spells. Alcohol may interfere with the effect of this medication. Avoid alcoholic drinks.
Your mouth may get dry. Chewing sugarless gum or sucking hard candy and drinking plenty of water may help. Contact your care team if the problem does not go away or is severe.
Do not treat yourself for coughs, colds, or allergies without asking your care team for advice. Do not take any medications for weight loss without advice either. Some ingredients in these products may increase possible side effects.
This medication may affect blood sugar levels. If you have diabetes, check with your care team before you change your diet or the dose of your diabetic medication.
If you are scheduled for any medical or dental procedure, tell your care team that you are taking this medication. This medication can interact with other medications used during surgery.
This medication patch is sensitive to certain body heat changes. If your skin gets too hot, more medication will come out of the patch. Call your care team if you get a fever. Do not take hot baths. Do not sunbathe. Do not use hot tubs, saunas, hairdryers, heating pads, electric blankets, heated waterbeds, or tanning lamps. Do not do exercise that increases your body temperature.