When Is It Prescribed?
Orap (primozide) is a medication that is prescribed
to treat:
Antipsychotic medications work by
changing the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain.
This medication may also be prescribed for purposes other than what’s listed above.
Are There Any Drug Interactions?
Do not take Orap (pimizide) with any of the following medicines:
- Antibiotics including clarithromycin (Biaxin), erythromycin (Ery-Tab, E.E.S., E-Mycin, Eryc, PCE, and others), dirithromycin (Dynabac), and troleandomycin (TAO).
- Antifungal medicines including itraconazole (Sporanox) and ketoconazole (Nizoral).
- Protease inhibitors including ritonavir (Norvir), saquinavir (Fortovase, Invirase), indinavir (Crixivan), and nelfinavir (Viracept).
- Phenothiazines including chlorpromazine (Thorazine), fluphenazine (Prolixin), thioridazine (Mellaril), mesoridazine (Serentil), and trifluoperazine (Stelazine).
- Tricyclic antidepressants including amoxapine (Asendin), amitriptyline (Elavil, Endep), clomipramine (Anafranil), doxepin (Sinequan), desipramine (Norpramin), imipramine (Tofranil), nortriptyline (Pamelor), protriptyline (Vivactil), and trimipramine (Surmontil).
- Medicines for irregular heartbeats, including quinidine (Cardioquin, Quinora, Quinaglute, Quinidex), procainamide (Pronestyl, Procan SR), disopyramide (Norpace), propafenone (Rythmol), flecainide (Tambocor), amiodarone (Cordarone), and sotalol (Betapace).
- Nefazodone (Serzone).
- Zileuton (Zyflo).
A dangerous interaction, possibly resulting in irregular heartbeats and/or death may occur if pimozide is taken with any of the medications listed above.
Always follow your physician's or therapist's
recommendations on how to take your medication.
If you are taking any other prescription medications, herbal remedies, vitamins, and/or over-the-counter medications, be sure to tell your physician or therapist.
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Issues
Orap (pimozide) is in the FDA pregnancy category C. This means that it is not known whether Orap will harm an unborn baby. Do not take Orap without first talking to your doctor or therapist if you are pregnant.
It is not known whether Orap (pimozide) passes into breast milk. Do not take this medication without first talking to your doctor or therapist if you are breastfeeding a baby.
Other Important Information and Precautions
- Do not consume grapefruit or grapefruit juice during treatment with Orap (pimozide). This medication can react with grapefruit products, and the interaction may have dangerous effects.
- Call your doctor immediately if you experience uncontrollable movements of the mouth, tongue, cheeks, jaw, arms, or legs.
- Use caution when driving, operating machinery, or performing other hazardous activities. Orap (pimozide) may cause dizziness or drowsiness. If you experience dizziness or drowsiness, avoid these activities.
- Use alcohol cautiously. Alcohol may increase drowsiness and dizziness while you are taking pimozide.
- It is easier to become dangerously dehydrated while you are taking Orap (pimozide). Use caution in hot weather and during exercise.
In addition to the information listed above, there may be other important issues or precautions related to this medication. For further information, you can ask your prescribing doctor or therapist.
Side
Effect Information
Only some people
will experience side-effects--and no one experiences
side-effects in exactly the same way. If you experience any
side-effects, contact your doctor or therapist right away
and continue taking your medication.
The following list may
not contain all of the side-effects associated with this medication:
| Most
Common Side-Effects |
unusual body
movements, unusual postures, restlessness, |
| Infrequent
Side-Effects |
dry mouth, constipation,
diarrhea, vomiting, tremors, skin rash |
| Risks |
neuroleptic malignant
syndrome (NMS), dyskineasia |
Side-effects and risks other than those listed above may also occur. Talk to your prescribing doctor or therapist about any potential or existing side-effects that you’re concerned about.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by 4therapy.com is accurate and up-to-date, but no guarantee is made to that effect.
4therapy.com’s medication information is a reference resource designed as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge, and judgment of healthcare practitioners in patient care. 4therapy.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information 4therapy.com provides.
