Zimovane Ls 3.75mg Film-Coated Tablets

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PACKAGE LEAFLET:

INFORMATION FOR THE USER

Zimovane 7.5 mg film-coated tablets Zimovane LS 3.75 mg film-coated tablets

zopiclone

SANOFlO

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Read all of this leaflet carefully before

you start taking this medicine

• Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.

• If you have any further questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

• This medicine has been prescribed for you. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their symptoms are 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.

What is in this leaflet

1. What Zimovane is and what it is used for

2. What you need to know before you take Zimovane

3. How to take Zimovane

4. Possible side effects

5. How to store Zimovane

6. Contents of the pack and other information

1. What Zimovane is and what it is used for

The name of your medicine is Zimovane tablets or Zimovane LS tablets (both called Zimovane in this leaflet). Zimovane contains a medicine called zopiclone. This belongs to a group of medicines called hypnotics. It works by acting on your brain to help you sleep.

Zimovane is used to treat sleep problems in adults such as:

• Difficulty falling asleep

• Waking in the middle of the night

• Waking too early

• Severe or upsetting sleep problems that are caused by your mood or mental health problems

Zimovane can be used for both temporary and longer lasting sleep problems. However, Zimovane is not meant to be used every day for long periods of time or to treat depression.

Ask your doctor for advice if you are unsure.

2. What you need to know before you take Zimovane

Do not take Zimovane

X You are allergic (hypersensitive) to zopiclone or any of the other ingredients of Zimovane (listed in Section 6 below)

Signs of an allergic reaction include: a rash, swallowing or breathing problems, swelling of your lips, face, throat or tongue

X You have a problem that causes severe muscle weakness (myasthenia gravis)

X Your lungs do not work properly (respiratory failure)

X You have a problem where you stop breathing for short periods at night (sleep apnoea)

X You have severe liver problems

X You are under the age of 18.?The safety and efficacy of Zimovane in children and adolescents aged less than 18 years have not been established.

Do not take this medicine if any of the above applies to you. If you are not sure, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Zimovane.

Warnings and precautions Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Zimovane

▲ You have any liver problems (see also ‘Do not take this medicine and tell your doctor if:' section above). Your doctor may need to give you a lower dose of Zimovane

▲ You have any kidney problems. Your doctor may need to give you a lower dose of Zimovane

▲ You suffer from mild breathing problems, your doctor will decide if you should receive Zimovane (see also ‘Do not take this medicine and tell your doctor if:' section above).

▲ You have a history of alcohol or drug abuse

▲ You have been told by a doctor that you have a personality disorder

▲ You have recently taken Zimovane or other similar medicines for more than four weeks

▲ You do not feel you will ever be able to stop taking Zimovane or other medicines used to treat sleep problems

Before taking Zimovane, it is important to make sure that you can have at least 7 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep to help reduce the risk of some side effects (see section 4 - Possible side effects).

If you are not sure if any of the above applies to you, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Zimovane.

Other medicines and Zimovane

Please tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking or have recently taken any other medicines. This includes medicines you buy without a prescription, including herbal medicines. This is because Zimovane can affect the way some other medicines work. Also some medicines can affect the way Zimovane works.

Tell your doctor if you are taking any of the following medicines.

Zimovane may increase the effect of the following medicines:

• Medicines for mental problems (antipsychotics)

• Medicines for depression

• Medicines for epilepsy (anticonvulsants)

• Medicines used in surgery (anaesthetics)

• Medicines to calm or reduce anxiety or for sleep problems (hypnotics)

• Medicines for hay fever, rashes or other allergies that can make you sleepy (sedative antihistamines) such as chlorphenamine or promethazine

• Some medicines for moderate to severe pain (narcotic analgesics) such as codeine, methadone, morphine, oxycodone, pethidine or tramadol

The following medicines can increase the chance of you getting side effects when taken with Zimovane. To make this less likely, your doctor may decide to lower your dose of Zimovane:

• Some antibiotics such as clarithromycin or erythromycin

• Some medicines for fungal infections such as ketaconazole and itraconazole

• Ritonavir (a protease inhibitor) - for HIV infections

The following medicines can make Zimovane work less well:

• Some medicines for epilepsy such as carbamazepine, phenobarbital or phenytoin

• Rifampicin (an antibiotic) - for infections

• St John's Wort (a herbal medicine) - for mood swings and depression

Taking Zimovane with food and drink

• Do not drink alcohol while you are taking Zimovane. Alcohol can increase the effects of Zimovane and make you sleep very deeply so that you do not breathe properly or have difficulty waking.

Pregnancy, breast-feeding and fertility

• Talk to your doctor before taking this medicine if you are pregnant, might become pregnant, or think you may be pregnant

• Do not take Zimovane during the last 3 months of pregnancy or during labour because it may be harmful to your baby

• Do not breast-feed if you are taking Zimovane. This is because small amounts may pass into mother's milk.

If you are breast-feeding or planning to breast-feed, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking any medicine

Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice

before taking any medicine if you are

pregnant or breast-feeding.

Driving and using machines

Like other medicines used for sleep problems, Zimovane can cause slowing of your normal brain function (central nervous system depression). The risk of psychomotor impairment including driving ability, is increased if:

• You take Zimovane within 12 hours of performing activities that require mental alertness

• You take higher than the recommended dose of Zimovane

• You take Zimovane while already taking another central nervous system depressant or another medicine that increases levels of Zimovane in your blood, or while drinking alcohol.

Do not engage in hazardous activities requiring complete mental alertness such as driving or operating machinery after taking Zimovane, and in particular during the 12 hours after taking your medicine.

For more information about possible side effects which could affect your driving see section 4 of this leaflet.

Important information about some of

the ingredients of Zimovane

Zimovane contains:

• Lactose. This is a type of sugar. If you have been told by your doctor that you cannot tolerate some sugars (have an intolerance to some sugars), talk to your doctor before taking this medicine.

• Wheat starch. People with wheat allergy should not take this medicine. Wheat allergy is not the same as Coeliac disease. Zimovane can be taken by people with Coeliac disease.

3. How to take Zimovane

Treatment should be as short as possible and should not exceed four weeks including period of tapering off Your doctor will give you the lowest effective dose.

Always take Zimovane exactly as your doctor has told you. You should check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.

Taking this medicine

• Take this medicine by mouth

• Swallow the tablet with a drink of water

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Over

• Do not crush or chew your tablets

• Take just before bedtime in a single intake and do not take again during the same night

• The usual length of treatment is 2 days to 3 weeks

Adults

The usual dose is one Zimovane tablet (7.5 mg) just before bedtime.

Elderly

The usual starting dose is one Zimovane LS tablet (3.75 mg) just before bedtime. Your doctor may decide to increase your dose to one Zimovane tablet (7.5 mg) if needed.

Use in children and adolescents

Zimovane should not be used in children and adolescents less than 18 years.

The safety and efficacy of Zimovane in children and adolescents aged less than 18years have not been established.

Patients with liver, respiratory or kidney problems

The usual starting dose is one Zimovane LS tablet (3.75 mg) just before bedtime.

Blood Tests

• Zimovane can change the levels of liver enzymes shown up in blood tests. This can mean that your liver is not working properly

• If you are going to have a blood test, it is important to tell your doctor that you are taking Zimovane

If you take more Zimovane than you should

If you take more Zimovane than you should, tell a doctor or go to a hospital casualty department straight away. Take the medicine pack with you. This is so the doctor knows what you have taken.

Taking too much Zimovane can be very dangerous. The following effects may happen:

• Feeling drowsy, confused, sleeping deeply and possibly falling in to a coma

• Floppy muscles (hypotonia)

• Feeling dizzy, light headed or faint. These effects are due to low blood pressure

• Falling over or losing your balance (ataxia)

• Shallow breathing or difficulty breathing (respiratory depression)

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If you forget to take Zimovane

Zimovane must only be taken at bedtime. If you forget to take your tablet at bedtime, then you should not take it at any other time, otherwise you may feel drowsy, dizzy and confused during the day. Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten tablet.

If you stop taking Zimovane

Keep taking Zimovane until your doctor tells you to stop. Do not stop taking Zimovane suddenly, but tell your doctor if you want to stop. Your doctor will need to lower your dose and stop your tablets over a period of time.

If you stop taking Zimovane suddenly, your sleep problems may come back and you may get a ‘withdrawal effect'. If this happens you may get some of the effects listed below.

See a doctor straight away if you get any of the following effects:

• Feeling anxious, shaky, irritable, agitated, confused or having panic attacks

• Sweating

• Headache

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• Faster heartbeat or uneven heartbeat (palpitations)

• A lower level of awareness and problems with focusing or concentrating

• Nightmares, seeing or hearing things that are not real (hallucinations)

• Being more sensitive to light, noise and touch than normal

• Relaxed grip on reality

• Numbness and tingling in your hands and feet

• Aching muscles

• Stomach problems

In rare cases fits (seizures) may also occur.

4. Possible side effects

Like all medicines, Zimovane can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.

Stop taking Zimovane and see a doctor or go to a hospital straight away if:

• You have an allergic reaction. The signs may include: a rash, swallowing or breathing problems, swelling of your lips, face, throat or tongue

Tell your doctor as soon as possible if you have any of the following side effects:

Rare (affects 1 to 10 users in 10,000)

• Poor memory since taking Zimovane (amnesia). By having 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep after taking Zimovane, this is less likely to cause you a problem.

• Seeing or hearing things that are not real (hallucinations)

• §Falling, especially in the elderly Not known (frequency cannot be estimated from available data)

• Thinking things that are not true (delusions)

• Feeling low or sad (depressed mood)

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if any of the following side effects get serious or lasts longer than a few days:

Common (affects 1 to 10 users in 100)

• A mild bitter or metallic taste in your mouth or a dry mouth

• Feeling drowsy or sleepy

• Dry mouth

Uncommon (affects 1 to 10 users in 1,000)

• Feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting)

• Feeling dizzy or sleepy

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• Headache

• Nightmares

• Feeling physically or mentally tired

• Agitation

Rare (affects 1 to 10 users in 10,000)

• Feeling confused

• Itchy, lumpy rash (urticaria)

• Feeling irritable or aggressive

• Reduced sex drive

• Difficulty breathing or being short of breath

Not known (frequency cannot be estimated from available data)

• Feeling restless or angry

• Feeling light headed or having problems with your coordination

• Double vision

• Moving unsteadily or staggering

• Muscular weakness

• Indigestion

• Becoming dependent on Zimovane

• Slower breathing (respiratory depression)

• Unusual skin sensations such as numbness, tingling, pricking, burning or creeping on the skin (paraesthesia)

• Mental problems such as poor memory

• Difficulty paying attention

• Disrupted normal speech

Sleep-Driving and other strange behaviour

There have been some reports of people doing things while asleep that they do not remember when waking up after taking a sleep medicine.

This includes sleep-driving and sleep walking. Alcohol and some medicines for depression or anxiety can increase the chance that this serious effect will happen.

Reporting of side effects

If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard

By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.

5. How to store Imovane

Keep this medicine in a safe place where children cannot see or reach it.

Do not use Zimovane after the expiry date which is stated on the carton after EXP. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.

Store below 30°C. Keep the blister in the outer carton in order to protect from light and moisture.

Medicines should not be disposed of via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of medicines no longer required. These measures will help to protect the environment.

6. Contents of the pack and other information

What Zimovane and Zimovane LS contain

• Each tablet of Zimovane contains 7.5 mg of the active substance zopiclone

• Each tablet of Zimovane LS contains 3.75 mg of the active substance zopiclone

Other ingredients are lactose monohydrate, calcium hydrogen phosphate dihydrate, wheat starch, sodium starch glycollate, magnesium stearate, hypromellose, titanium dioxide and macrogol 6000.

What Zimovane looks like and contents of the pack

Zimovane is a white, elliptical (oval), biconvex shaped film-coated tablet with a score line on one side contained within PVC/aluminium foil blisters containing 56, 28, 14, 7 or 3 tablets, and in a starter pack containing 3 tablets.

Zimovane LS is a white, round, biconvex shaped film-coated tablet within PVC/ aluminium foil blisters containing 112, 56, 28, 14, 10, 7 or 3 tablets, and in a starter pack containing 3 tablets.

Not all pack sizes may be marketed.

Marketing Authorisation Holder and Manufacturer

Marketing Authorisation Holder Sanofi,

One Onslow Street, Guildford,

Surrey, GU1 4YS Tel: 08453727101 email:

uk-medicalinformation@sanofi.com

Manufacturer

Sanofi Winthrop Industrie,

56, route de Choisy-au-Bac,

60205 Compiegne,

France.

This leaflet does not contain all the information about your medicine. If you have any questions or are not sure about anything, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

This leaflet was last revised in June 2015

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