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" What is it used for?  Schizophrenia.    How does it work? Solian tablets and solution contain the active ingredient amisulpride, which is a type of medicine known as an atypical antipsychotic. (NB. Amisulpride is also available without a brand name, ie as the generic medicine.) It is used to treat schizophrenia. Amisulpride works in the brain, where it affects a neurotransmitter called dopamine. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that are stored in nerve cells and are involved in transmitting messages between the nerve cells.  Dopamine is a neurotransmitter known to be involved in regulating mood and behaviour, amongst other things. Schizophrenia is associated with an overactivity of dopamine in the brain, and this may be associated with the delusions and hallucinations that are a feature of this disease.  Amisulpride works by blocking the receptors in the brain that dopamine acts on. This prevents the excessive activity of dopamine and helps to control psychotic illness. People with schizophrenia may experience &amp;#039;positive symptoms&amp;#039; (such as hallucinations, disturbances of thought, and hostility) and/or &amp;#039;negative symptoms&amp;#039; (such as lack of emotion and social isolation). Amisulpride has been shown to be effective for relieving both positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia, whereas the conventional antipsychotics are usually less effective against the negative symptoms.   How do I take it?  Amisulpride is taken once or twice a day. The dose that is prescribed will vary from person to person depending on the condition being treated. It is important to follow the instructions given by your doctor. These will be printed on the dispensing label that your pharmacist has put on the medicine. If you are unclear about anything you should ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice. Solian tablets and oral solution can be taken either with or without food. If you forget to take a dose take it as soon as you remember. If it is nearly time for your next dose leave it until then to take it. Don&amp;#039;t take a double dose to make up for a missed dose. Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, you should not suddenly stop taking this medicine, even if you feel better and think you don&amp;#039;t need it any more. This is because the medicine controls the symptoms of the illness but doesn&amp;#039;t actually cure it. This means that if you suddenly stop treatment your symptoms could come back. Stopping the medicine suddenly may also rarely cause withdrawal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, difficulty sleeping or abnormal involuntary muscle movements. When treatment with this medicine is stopped, it should be done gradually, following the instructions given by your doctor.   Warning!  This medicine may cause sleepiness and blurred vision and so may reduce your ability to drive or operate machinery safely. Do not drive or operate machinery until you know how this medicine affects you and you are sure it won&amp;#039;t affect your performance.  This medicine can occasionally cause your blood pressure to drop when you move from a lying down or sitting position to sitting or standing, especially when you first start taking the medicine. This may make you feel dizzy or unsteady and could make you faint. To avoid this try getting up slowly. If you do feel dizzy, sit or lie down until the symptoms pass. You should avoid drinking alcohol while taking this medicine, as this is likely to make any drowsiness or dizziness worse. Your doctor may want to check your heart function with an ECG before you start treatment with this medicine, and may want to do further checks from time to time throughout your treatment. This medicine can cause some people to put on weight. Talk to your doctor about this before you start treatment so that you can discuss strategies, such as diet and exercise, for minimising any weight gain. Antipsychotic medicines are associated with an increased risk of getting a blood clot in a vein (deep vein thrombosis) or in the lungs (pulmonary embolism). For this reason, you should consult a doctor immediately if you get any of the following symptoms, which could suggest you have a blood clot: stabbing pains and/or unusual redness or swelling in one leg, pain on breathing or coughing, coughing up blood or sudden breathlessness.  Consult your doctor immediately if you experience abnormal movements, particularly of the face, lips, jaw and tongue, while taking this medicine. These symptoms may be indicative of a rare side effect known as tardive dyskinesia, and your doctor may ask you to stop taking this medicine, or decrease your dose. Consult your doctor immediately if you experience the following symptoms while taking this medicine: high fever, sweating, muscle stiffness, faster breathing and drowsiness or sleepiness. These symptoms may be due to a rare side effect known as the neuroleptic malignant syndrome, and your treatment may need to be stopped.   Use with caution in  Elderly people. Decreased kidney function. People with disease involving the heart and blood vessels (cardiovascular disease) for example heart failure, angina, previous heart attack or a slow or irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia). People with a personal or family history of an abnormal heart rhythm seen on a heart monitoring trace or ECG as a &amp;#039;prolonged QT interval&amp;#039;. People taking medicines that can cause a &amp;#039;prolonged QT interval&amp;#039; (your doctor will know, but see end of this factsheet for some examples).  People with disturbances in the levels of electrolytes in their blood, in particular low blood potassium levels (hypokalaemia). People with risk factors for having a stroke, for example a history of stroke or mini-stroke (TIA), smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, or a type of irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation.  People with a personal or family history of blood clots (venous thromboembolism), for example in a vein of the leg (deep vein thrombosis) or in the lungs (pulmonary embolism).  People with other risk factors for getting a blood clot, for example smoking, being overweight, taking the contraceptive pill, being over 40, recent major surgery or being immobile for prolonged periods. People with diabetes or who are at risk of developing diabetes. (If you have diabetes your blood sugar levels should be monitored closely while you are having treatment with this medicine, because it may increase your blood sugar.) People with a history of fits (seizures), eg epilepsy. People with conditions that increase the risk of epilepsy or convulsions, eg brain damage or withdrawal from alcohol. Parkinson&amp;#039;s disease.   Not to be used in  Children under 18 years of age. People with tumours that grow rapidly in the presence of the hormone prolactin, for example tumours of the pituitary gland in the brain or breast cancer. People with a tumour of the adrenal gland (phaeochromocytoma). Breastfeeding. This medicine is not licensed or recommended for treating psychosis in elderly people with dementia, eg Alzheimer&amp;#039;s disease, as it may increase the risk of stroke or death in this group of people.   This medicine should not be used if you are allergic to one or any of its ingredients. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have previously experienced such an allergy.  If you feel you have experienced an allergic reaction, stop using this medicine and inform your doctor or pharmacist immediately.   Pregnancy and breastfeeding Certain medicines should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. However, other medicines may be safely used in pregnancy or breastfeeding providing the benefits to the mother outweigh the risks to the unborn baby. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, before using any medicine.  The safety of this medicine for use during pregnancy has not been established. It is not recommended for use in pregnancy unless considered essential by your doctor and the benefits to the mother outweigh any potential risks to the developing baby. If the medicine is used during the third trimester it could cause side effects or withdrawal symptoms in the baby after birth and the baby may need extra monitoring because of this. Seek further medical advice from your doctor.  If you do get pregnant or want to plan a pregnancy while taking this medicine it is important to consult your doctor straight away for advice. You should not suddenly stop taking this medicine unless your doctor tells you to, as this could cause your symptoms to come back.  It is not known if this medicine passes into breast milk. The manufacturer states that mothers who need to take this medicine should not breastfeed. Seek medical advice from your doctor.    Side effects Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Just because a side effect is stated here does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.  Very common (affect more that 1 in 10 people)  Abnormal movements of the hands, legs, face, neck and tongue, eg tremor, twitching, rigidity (extrapyramidal effects). Anxiety, restlessness and agitation (akathisia).  Increased salivation.   Common (affect between 1 in 10 and 1 in 100 people)  Sleepiness. Difficulty sleeping (insomnia). Disturbances of the gut such as constipation, nausea or vomiting. Dry mouth. Increased blood prolactin (milk producing hormone) level (hyperprolactinaemia). Sometimes this can lead to symptoms such as breast enlargement, production of milk and stopping of menstrual periods. Erectile dysfunction. Problems with orgasm. Low blood pressure (hypotension). Weight gain.   Uncommon (affect between 1 in 100 and 1 in 1000 people)  Rhythmical involuntary movement of the tongue, face, mouth and jaw, which may sometimes be accompanied by involuntary movements of the arms and legs (tardive dyskinesia - see warning section above).  Seizures. Increased blood glucose levels. Tell your doctor if you notice you feel unusually hungry or thirsty, or need to pass urine more often than usual. People with diabetes should monitor their blood sugar closely. Slow heart rate (bradycardia). Raised liver enzymes. Allergic reaction.   Frequency not known  Irregular heart rhythm seen as a &amp;#039;prolonged QT interval&amp;#039; on an ECG. Abnormal heart beats (arrhythmias). High temperature combined with falling levels of consciousness, paleness, sweating and a fast heart beat (neuroleptic malignant syndrome). Requires stopping the medicine and immediate medical treatment - see warning section above.  Abnormal blood clot in the blood vessels (venous thromboembolism - see warning section above).  Decreased numbers of red blood cells, white blood cells or platelets in the blood. You should consult your doctor if you experience any of the following symptoms: unexplained bruising or bleeding, purple spots, sore throat, mouth ulcers, high temperature (fever), feeling tired or general illness. Your doctor may want to take a blood test to check your blood cells.   The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the medicine&amp;#039;s manufacturer.  For more information about any other possible risks associated with this medicine, please read the information provided with the medicine or consult your doctor or pharmacist.   How can this medicine affect other medicines? It is important to tell your doctor or pharmacist what medicines you are already taking, including those bought without a prescription and herbal medicines, before you start treatment with this medicine. Similarly, check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any new medicines while taking this one, to make sure that the combination is safe. Amisulpride should not be taken with any of the following medicines, as the combination could cause a serious abnormal heart rhythm known as torsades de pointes:  antiarrhythmics (medicines used to treat abnormal heart rhythms) such as quinidine, disopyramide, procainamide, amiodarone, sotalol certain antimalarials, eg halofantrine, chloroquine, quinine, mefloquine, Riamet cisapride droperidol erythromycin given by injection into a vein (intravenous) methadone moxifloxacin pentamidine other antipsychotics, in particular sertindole, thioridazine, haloperidol, pimozide.  The following medicines should be used with caution in combination with amisulpride, as they may increase the risk of abnormal heart rhythms (prolonged QT interval on a heart monitoring trace or ECG):  the antihistamines astemizole, mizolastine or terfenadine arsenic trioxide atomoxetine  certain antidepressants, eg amitriptyline, imipramine, maprotiline medicines that can lower blood potassium levels, eg laxatives, amphotericin B given by injection into a vein, tetracosactide, corticosteroids such as dexamethasone, or diuretics such as furosemide or bendroflumethiazide medicines that can slow down the heart rate, eg clonidine, diltiazem, verapamil, digoxin or beta-blockers such as propranolol.  There may be an increased risk of drowsiness and sedation if amisulpride is taken with any of the following (which can also cause drowsiness):  alcohol barbiturates, eg amobarbital, phenobarbital benzodiazepines, eg diazepam, temazepam MAOI antidepressants, eg phenelzine sedating antihistamines, eg chlorphenamine, hydroxyzine  sleeping tablets, eg zopiclone  strong opioid painkillers, eg morphine, codeine tricyclic antidepressants, eg amitriptyline.   Amisulpride may enhance the blood pressure-lowering effects of medicines that lower blood pressure, including medicines used to treat high blood pressure (antihypertensives) and medicines that lower blood pressure as a side effect, eg benzodiazepines. If you are taking medicines that lower blood pressure you should tell your doctor if you feel dizzy or faint after starting treatment with this medicine, as your doses may need adjusting. Amisulpride may oppose the effect of medicines for Parkinson&amp;#039;s disease that work by stimulating dopamine receptors in the brain, for example ropinirole, pergolide, bromocriptine. It should not be used in combination with levodopa.  Amisulpride may oppose the effect of anticonvulsant medicines used to treat epilepsy. Amisulpride may increase blood sugar levels and disturb the control of diabetes. People with diabetes may need an adjustment in the dose of their antidiabetic medication.    Other medicines containing the same active ingredient Amisulpride tablets are available without a brand name, ie as the generic medicine.  Last updated 12.08.2012 "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/brain-and-nervous-system/a7549/solian-amisulpride/>