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" What is it used for?  Helping to control movement disorders associated with disorders of the brain and nervous system, such as Huntington&amp;#039;s disease, hemiballismus and senile chorea. Helping to control a movement disorder called tardive dyskinesia, which is a potential side effect of antipsychotic medicines. It involves rhythmical involuntary movements of the tongue, face, mouth and jaw, sometimes also with involuntary movements of the arms and legs. This medicine may be used for tardive dyskinesia that is disabling or socially embarrasing, and doesn&amp;#039;t get better despite stopping or reducing the dose of the antipsychotic. Tetrabenazine can also be used if it is not possible to stop or change the antipsychotic.   How does it work? Xenazine tablets contain the active ingredient tetrabenazine, which is a medicine that is used to help control movement disorders. NB. Tetrabenazine tablets are also available without a brand name, ie as the generic medicine. Tetrabenazine is mainly used to control movement disorders associated with diseases of the brain and nervous system, such as Huntington&amp;#039;s disease. It can also be used to control movement disorders caused by antipsychotic medicines.  Tetrabenazine works by depleting the stores of certain neurotransmitters within the nerve cells in the brain. These neurotransmitters include dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline. They are involved in passing messages between nerve cells in the brain and the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system. Depleting the brain cells of these neurotransmitters helps to stop the nerve cells sending inappropriate messages to the muscles. It can help control jerky, irregular and uncontrollable movements that are the result of certain diseases of the brain and nervous system, such as Huntington&amp;#039;s disease, or that can occur after taking antipsychotic medicines to treat mental health problems such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or severe depression.   How do I take it?  Tetrabenazine tablets should be swallowed with a drink of water. They can be taken either with or without food. The dose of this medicine that is prescribed and how often it needs to be taken depends 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 forget to take a dose take it as soon as you remember, unless it is nearly time for your next dose. In this case just leave out the forgotten dose and take your next dose as usual. Don&amp;#039;t take a double dose to make up for a missed dose.  You should not suddenly stop taking this medicine unless your doctor tells you to. If treatment with this medicine is stopped, this should usually be done gradually.   Warning!  This medicine may cause drowsiness. If affected do not drive or operate machinery. Do not drink alcohol while you are taking this medicine, as this is likely to make any drowsiness or dizziness that you experience worse. It is very important to seek medical advice if you, or someone else taking this medicine, experience any changes in mood, distressing thoughts, or feelings about suicide or self-harm at any point while taking this medicine. For more information speak to your doctor or pharmacist. 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  People with a history of depression or suicidal thoughts. People with decreased kidney or liver function. People with a type of abnormal heart rhythm, seen on a heart monitoring trace (ECG) as a &amp;#039;prolonged QT interval&amp;#039;.  People taking medicines that can cause a prolonged QT interval (your doctor will know, but see the end of this factsheet for some examples). People with a history of abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias).   Not to be used in  Depression. People who have taken an MAOI antidepressant in the last two weeks. People with Parkinson&amp;#039;s-like symptoms (slow movements and muscle rigidity). People with a tumour of the adrenal glands (phaeochromocytoma). People with a tumour that is dependent on the hormone prolactin for growth, for example breast cancer or a pituitary tumour. Breastfeeding.  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 should not be used during pregnancy unless considered essential by your doctor, and then only if the potential benefit to the mother outweighs any risk to the developing baby. Ask your doctor for further advice. It is not known if this medicine passes into breast milk. It should not be taken by mothers who are breastfeeding. Seek further medical advice from your doctor.   Label warnings  This medication may cause drowsiness. If affected do not drive or operate machinery. Avoid alcoholic drink.    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, it does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.  Very common (affect more than 1 in 10 people)  Drowsiness. Depression - see warning section above. Parkinson&amp;#039;s-like symptoms, such as slow movements or muscle rigidity. Tell your doctor if you notice these types of problems.   Common (affect between 1 in 10 and 1 in 100 people)  Agitation. Anxiety. Confusion. Difficulty sleeping (insomnia). Low blood pressure. Difficulty swallowing. Nausea and vomiting. Constipation or diarrhoea.   Rare (affect between 1 in 1000 and 1 in 10,000 people)  High temperature combined with falling levels of consciousness, paleness, sweating and a fast heartbeat (neuroleptic malignant syndrome). Requires stopping the medicine and immediate medical treatment - see warning section above.   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. You should not take this medicine if you are currently taking a type of medicine called a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI), or have taken one of these medicines in the last 14 days. MAOIs include the antidepressants phenelzine, tranylcypromine, isocarboxazid and moclobemide, and the anti-Parkinson&amp;#039;s medicines selegiline and rasagiline. This is because the combination of tetrabenazine with these medicines could cause a dangerous increase in blood pressure (hypertensive crisis).  There may be an increased risk of drowsiness and sedation if any of the following (which can also cause drowsiness) are taken in combination with tetrabenazine:   alcohol barbiturates, eg amobarbital, phenobarbital  benzodiazepines, eg diazepam, temazepam  sedating antihistamines, eg chlorphenamine, hydroxyzine, promethazine  sleeping tablets, eg zopiclone  strong opioid painkillers, eg morphine, codeine, tramadol  tricyclic antidepressants, eg amitriptyline.  There may be an increased risk of a type of abnormal heart rhythm, seen as a &amp;#039;prolonged QT interval&amp;#039; on an ECG, if tetrabenzine is taken in combination with other medicines that can have this effect, such as the following:  antiarrhythmics (medicines to treat abnormal heart beats), eg amiodarone, procainamide, disopyramide, quinidine, sotalol , dronedarone the antihistamines astemizole, mizolastine or terfenadine  arsenic trioxide atomoxetine certain antidepressants, eg citalopram, escitalopram, clomipramine certain antimalarials, eg halofantrine, chloroquine, quinine, mefloquine, Riamet  certain antipsychotics, eg thioridazine, pimozide, sertindole , haloperidol, droperidol cisapride intravenous erythromycin or pentamidine methadone moxifloxacin ranolazine saquinavir sildenafil tolterodine vardenafil.   There may be an increased risk of developing Parkison&amp;#039;s-like symptoms (sometimes called extrapyramidal symptoms) if this medicine is taken with other medicines that reduce the activity of dopamine in the brain, for example:  antipsychotic medicines such as haloperidol or chlorpromazine metoclopramide.  There may be an increased chance of your blood pressure dropping too low if you take this medicine in combination with medicines to lower high blood pressure. If you take medicines for high blood pressure you should tell your doctor if you start to feel dizzy after starting treatment with this medicine as well. Tetrabenazine opposes the effects of levodopa (used to treat Parkinson&amp;#039;s disease).   Other medicines containing the same active ingredient  Revocon tablets. Tetmodis tablets.  Tetrabenazine tablets are also available without a brand name, ie as the generic medicine.  Last updated 24.09.2013 "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/brain-and-nervous-system/a8228/xenazine-tetrabenazine/>