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PACKAGE LEAFLET: INFORMATION FOR THE USER Voltfast 50mg Tablets / Voltarol® Rapid 50mg Tablets

(diclofenac potassium)

This product is available in the above name but will be referred to as Voltarol Rapid T ablets for the remainder of this leaflet.

It is also available in "50mg” strength.

What you need to know about Voltarol Rapid Tablets

Your doctor has decided that you need this medicine to help treat your condition.

Please read this leaflet carefully before you start to take your medicine. It contains important information. Keep the leaflet in a safe place because you may want to read it again.

If you have any other questions, or there is something you don't understand, please ask your doctor or pharmacist.

This medicine has been prescribed for you. Never give it to someone else. It may not be the right medicine for them even if their symptoms seem to be the same as yours.

If any of the side effects gets serious, or if you notice any side effects not listed in this leaflet, please tell your doctor or pharmacist.

In this leaflet:

1.    What Voltarol Rapid Tablets are and what they are used for

2.    Things to consider before you start to take Voltarol Rapid Tablets

3.    How to take Voltarol Rapid Tablets

4.    Possible side effects

5.    How to store Voltarol Rapid Tablets

6.    Further information

Diclofenac potassium, the active ingredient in Voltarol Rapid Tablets, is one of a group of medicines called non-steroidal anti -inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). NSAIDs reduce pain and inflammation.

Voltarol Rapid Tablets relieve pain, reduce swelling and ease

inflammation in:

•    Rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthrosis, acute gout, low back pain, ankylosing spondolytis

•    Migraine

•    Conditions affecting the joints and muscles such as sprains and strains, soft tissue sports injuries, frozen shoulder, dislocations, and fractures

•    Conditions affecting the tendons for example, tendonitis, tenosynovitis, bursitis.

They are also used to treat pain and inflammation associated with orthopaedic, dental and other minor surgery.

2. Things to consider before you start to take Voltarol Rapid Tablets

Some people MUST NOT take Voltarol Rapid Tablets. Talk to your doctor if:

•    you think you may be allergic to diclofenac potassium, aspirin, ibuprofen or any other NSAID, or to any of the other ingredients of Voltarol Rapid Tablets. (These are listed at the end of the leaflet.) Signs of a hypersensitivity reaction include swelling of the face and mouth (angioedema), breathing problems, runny nose, skin rash or any other allergic type reaction

•    you have now, or have ever had, a stomach (gastric) or duodenal (peptic) ulcer, or bleeding in the digestive tract (this can include blood in vomit, bleeding when emptying bowels, fresh blood in faeces or black, tarry faeces)

•    you have had stomach or bowel problems after you have taken other NSAIDs

•    you have severe heart, kidney or liver failure

•    if you have established heart disease and/or cerebrovascular disease e.g. if you have had a heart attack, stroke, mini-stroke (TIA) or blockages to blood vessels to the heart or brain or an operation to clear or bypass blockages

•    if you have or have had problems with your blood circulation (peripheral arterial disease)

•    you are more than six months pregnant.

You should also ask yourself these questions before taking Voltarol Rapid Tablets:

•    Do you suffer from any stomach or bowel disorders including ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease?

•    Do you have kidney or liver problems, or are you elderly?

•    Do you have a condition called porphyria?

•    Do you suffer from any blood or bleeding disorder? If you do, your doctor may ask you to go for regular check-ups while you are taking these tablets.

•    Have you ever had asthma?

•    Are you breast-feeding?

•    Do you have angina, blood clots, high blood pressure, raised cholesterol or raised triglycerides

•    Do you have heart problems, or have you had a stroke, or do you think you might be at risk of these conditions (for example, if you have high blood pressure, diabetes, or high cholesterol or are a smoker)?

•    Do you have diabetes

•    Do you smoke

•    Do you have Lupus (SLE) or any similar condition?

•    Do you have an intolerance to some sugars such as sucrose? (Voltarol Rapid Tablets contain sucrose.)

If the answer to any of these questions is YES, discuss your treatment with your doctor or pharmacist because Voltarol Rapid Tablets might not be the right medicine for you.

Are you taking other medicines?

Some medicines can interfere with your treatment. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any of the following:

•    Medicines to treat diabetes

•    Anticoagulants (blood thinning tablets like warfarin)

•    Diuretics (water tablets)

•    Lithium (used to treat some mental problems)

•    Methotrexate (for some inflammatory diseases and some cancers)

•    Ciclosporin and tacrolimus (used to treat some inflammatory diseases and after transplants)

•    Trimethoprim (a medicine used to prevent or treat urinary tract infections)

•    Quinolone antibiotics (for infections)

•    Any other NSAID or COX-2 (cyclo-oxgenase-2) inhibitor, for example aspirin or ibuprofen

•    Mifepristone (a medicine used to terminate pregnancy)

•    Cardiac glycosides (for example digoxin), used to treat heart problems

•    Medicines known as SSRIs used to treat depression

•    Oral steroids (an anti-inflammatory drug)

•    Medicines used to treat heart conditions or high blood pressure, for example betablockers or ACE inhibitors.

•    Voriconazole (a medicine used to treat fungal infections).

•    Phenytoin (a medicine used to treat seizures)

•    Colestipol/cholestyramine (used to lower cholesterol) Always tell your doctor or pharmacist about all the medicines you are taking. This means medicines you have bought yourself as well as medicines on prescription from your doctor.

Pregnancy

•    Are you pregnant or planning to become pregnant? Although not common, abnormalities have been reported in babies whose mothers have taken NSAIDs during pregnancy. You should not take Voltarol Rapid Tablets during the last 3 months of pregnancy as it may affect the baby's circulation.

•    Are you trying for a baby? Taking Voltarol Rapid Tablets may make it more difficult to conceive. You should talk to your doctor if you are planning to become pregnant, or if you have problems getting pregnant.

Will there be any problems with driving or using machinery?

Very occasionally people have reported that Voltarol Rapid Tablets have made them feel dizzy, tired or sleepy. Problems with eyesight have also been reported. If you are affected in this way, you should not drive or operate machinery.

Other special warnings

•    You should take the lowest dose of Voltarol for the shortest possible time, particularly if you are underweight or elderly.

•    There is a small increased risk of heart attack or stroke when you are taking any medicine like Voltarol. The risk is higher if you are taking high doses for a long time. Always follow the doctor's instructions on how much to take and how long to take it for.

•    Whilst you are taking these medicines your doctor may want to give you a check-up from time to time.

•    If you have a history of stomach problems when you are taking NSAIDs, particularly if you are elderly, you must tell your doctor straight away if you notice any unusual symptoms.

•    Because it is an anti-inflammatory medicine, Voltarol may reduce the symptoms of infection, for example, headache and high temperature. If you feel unwell and need to see a doctor, remember to tell him or her that you are taking Voltarol.

The doctor will tell you how many Voltarol Rapid Tablets to take and when to take them. Always follow his/her instructions carefully. The dose will be on the pharmacist's label. Check the label carefully. If you are not sure, ask your doctor or pharmacist. Keep taking your tablets for as long as you have been told, unless you have any problems. In that case, check with your doctor.

Take the tablets with or after food.

Voltarol Rapid Tablets are specially formulated to act quickly. Swallow the tablets whole with a drink of water. Do not crush or chew them.

The usual doses are:

Adults

75 mg to 150 mg daily divided into two or three doses. The number of tablets you take will depend on the strength the doctor has given you.

For the relief of migraine in adults:

Take 50 mg at the first signs of an attack. If the migraine has not gone after 2 hours, take another 50 mg. You can take further doses at intervals of 4 to 6 hours if necessary, but you must not take more than 200 mg in a day.

Elderly

Your doctor may advise you to take a dose that is lower than the usual adult dose if you are elderly. Your doctor may also want to check closely that the Voltarol Rapid Tablets are not affecting your stomach.

Children over 14

75 mg to 100 mg daily divided into two or three doses.

Voltarol Rapid Tablets are not recommended for children under 14. They are not recommended for the treatment of migraine in children of any age.

Very rare side effects (These may affect less than 1 in every 10,000 patients):

Effects on the nervous system:

Tingling or numbness in the fingers, tremor, visual disturbances such as blurred or double vision, hearing loss or impairment, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), sleeplessness, nightmares, mood changes, depression, anxiety, mental disorders, disorientation and loss of memory, fits, headaches together with a dislike of bright lights, fever and a stiff neck, disturbances in sensation.

Effects on the stomach and digestive system:

Constipation, inflammation of the tongue, mouth ulcers, inflammation of the inside of the mouth or lips, taste changes, lower gut disorders (including inflammation of the colon or worsening of ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease).

Effects on the heart, chest or blood:

Palpitations (fast or irregular heart beat), chest pain, hypertension (high blood pressure), inflammation of blood vessels (vasculitis), inflammation of the lung (pneumonitis), heart disorders, including congestive heart failure, or heart attack, blood disorders (including anaemia).

Effects on the liver or kidneys:

Kidney or severe liver disorders including liver failure, presence of blood or protein in the urine.

Effects on skin or hair:

Serious skin rashes including Stevens-Johnson syndrome and Lyell's syndrome and other skin rashes which may be made worse by exposure to sunlight.

Hair loss.

Other side effects that have also been reported include:

Inflammation of the pancreas, impotence, facial swelling, inflammation of the lining of the brain (menigitis), stroke, throat disorders, confusion, hallucinations, malaise (general feeling of discomfort), inflammation of the nerves in the eye.