Apo-Varenicline Dosage/Direction for Use

Always take this medicine exactly as prescribed. Patients must be advised to check with the doctor or pharmacist if they are not sure.
Patients are more likely to stop smoking if they are motivated to stop. The doctor and pharmacist can provide advice, support and sources of further information to help ensure the attempt to stop smoking is successful.
Before starting the course of APO-VARENICLINE, the patient should usually decide on a date in the second week of treatment (between day 8 and day 14) when the patient will stop smoking. If the patient is not willing or able to set a target quit date within 2 weeks, the patient may choose his/her own target quit date within 5 weeks after starting treatment.
APO-VARENICLINE comes as a white tablet (0.5 mg) and a blue tablet (1 mg). The patient starts with the white tablet and then usually go to the blue tablet. See the table as follows for the usual dosing instructions which should be followed from Day 1. (See table.)

Click on icon to see table/diagram/image

After 12 weeks of treatment, if the patient has stopped smoking, an additional 12 weeks of treatment with APO-VARENICLINE 1 mg film-coated tablets twice daily may be recommended to help avoid returning back to smoking.
Should the patient experience adverse effects that cannot be tolerated, the dose may temporarily or permanently reduced to 0.5 mg twice daily.
If the patient has problems with the kidneys, advise the patient to speak to the doctor before taking APO-VARENICLINE. A lower dose may be needed.
APO-VARENICLINE is for oral use.
The tablets should be swallowed whole with water and can be taken with or without food.
Forgotten intake of APO-VARENICLINE: A double dose should not be taken to make up for a forgotten tablet. It is important that the patient take APO-VARENICLINE regularly at the same time each day. If the patient forgets to take a dose, advise the patient to take it as soon as he/she remembers. If, it is within 3-4 hours before the next dose, the missed tablet should not be taken.
Stopping intake of APO-VARENICLINE: It has been shown in clinical trials that taking all doses of the medicine at the appropriate times and for the recommended duration of treatment described previously will increase the chances of stopping smoking. Therefore, unless the doctor instructs to stop treatment, advise the patient that it is important to keep taking APO-VARENICLINE, according to the instructions described in the table previously.
In smoking cessation therapy, risk of returning to smoking may be elevated in the period immediately following the end of treatment. The patient may temporarily experience increased irritability, urge to smoke, depression and/or sleep disturbances when the patient stops taking APO-VARENICLINE. The doctor may decide to gradually lower the dose of APO-VARENICLINE at the end of treatment.
Patients must be advised regarding any further questions on the use of this medicine.