Camcolit

Lithium carbonate.

Each tablet contains 400 mg lithium carbonate.
Excipients/Inactive Ingredients: The other ingredients are maize starch, acacia, magnesium stearate, sodium laurilsulfate (see CAMCOLIT contains sodium under Precautions), hypromellose, macrogol 400 and Opaspray.

CAMCOLIT 400 mg controlled release tablets contain lithium carbonate, which is used to treat and prevent mania or manic depressive illness and recurrent depression in adults. It is sometimes used to treat other behavioural disorders.

Always take this medicine exactly as the doctor has told to. Check with the doctor or pharmacist if unsure.
CAMCOLIT 400 mg tablets are usually taken twice a day when starting, but the patient may be able to take it once a day when blood tests are stable.
The doctor will give the patient a blood test to tell how many tablets to take and when to take them. The doctor will repeat the blood test regularly whilst taking CAMCOLIT.
Try to take the tablets at the same times every day.
Use in children: CAMCOLIT should not be used in children.
If the patient forgets to take CAMCOLIT: If the patient forgets to take CAMCOLIT, he/she should take it as soon as he/she remembers. If the patient forgets for more than 6 hours, he/she should just take the next dose when it is due. The patient should tell the doctor if he/she forgets a few doses.
Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose.
If there are any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask the doctor or pharmacist.

The patient should contact a doctor or the nearest hospital immediately if he/she takes more CAMCOLIT than he/she should.
Signs of taking too much CAMCOLIT include: abdominal pain, loss of appetite and nausea, sickness, diarrhoea, blurred vision, passing a lot of water, light-headedness, tremor, muscle twitching, muscle weakness or drowsiness and feeling very tired. In extreme cases, unconsciousness, coma, fits, heart rhythm problems (slow or irregular heartbeat) and kidney failure can occur.
Tell the family about lithium side effects so they know what to look for too.

The patient should not take CAMCOLIT: if he/she is allergic to lithium or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in Description); if he/she has serious kidney disease; if he/she has hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormones) that is difficult to treat; if he/she has problems with the rhythm of the heart; if he/she has a condition called Brugada syndrome (a hereditary syndrome that affects the heart), or if anyone in the family has had Brugada syndrome; if he/she has low sodium levels in the body (this can happen if the patient is dehydrated, on a low sodium diet, or if the patient has an illness called "Addison's disease", this happens when the body does not produce enough hormones and therefore making the patient feel tired, weak, lightheaded and areas of the skin may go darker); if she is breast-feeding.

The patient should talk to the doctor or pharmacist before taking CAMCOLIT if he/she: has epilepsy and takes medicines to treat it; takes antipsychotic medications; has heart disease; develops persistent headaches and/or visual disturbances; has low amounts of potassium, magnesium and calcium in the blood (the doctor will inform the patient).
Kidney tumours: Patients with severe kidney impairment who received lithium for more than 10 years may have a risk of developing a benign or malignant kidney tumour (microcysts, oncocytoma or collecting duct renal carcinoma).
Whilst taking CAMCOLIT: Before the patient starts taking CAMCOLIT, and while he/she is taking it, the doctor should check on the: kidneys and urine; thyroid; heart.
It is important that the patient tells the doctor if he/she notices any side effects or is ill whilst taking CAMCOLIT. These could be early signs that the doctor should give another check-up. Elderly patients should take particular care about this. Possible side effects are described in Side Effects.
Other situations where blood monitoring may be needed more often: there is a change in the dose or brand of lithium tablets; the patient has an infection or other existing disease/disorder; large changes in the amount of fluid intake or sodium (salt) consumption; taking other medicines; the patient has kidney disease that is not serious as informed by the doctor.
CAMCOLIT contains sodium: This medicine contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per tablet, that is to say essentially 'sodium-free'.
Driving and using machines: As CAMCOLIT may cause dizziness or other nervous disorders, the ability to drive or use machines may be impaired.

If the patient is pregnant or breast-feeding, thinks she may be pregnant or is planning to have a baby, she should ask the doctor for advice before taking this medicine.
Pregnancy: Do not take CAMCOLIT if pregnant or planning to become pregnant unless otherwise recommended by the doctor.
Breast-feeding: Do not take CAMCOLIT whilst breast-feeding.

Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
The patient should contact the doctor immediately if he/she: notices any changes in heart rate, for example a slower, faster or irregular heartbeat; has a high fever, agitation, confusion, trembling, and abrupt contractions of muscles (may be signs of a rare condition called serotonin syndrome); experiences a high temperature with rigid muscles, confusion or agitation, and sweating, or jerky muscle movements which can't be controlled (may be symptoms of a serious condition known as neuroleptic malignant syndrome); experiences persistent headaches and/or visual disturbances.
Other side effects include: heart rhythm problems including a fast or irregular heartbeat and abnormal heart muscle function (tests on the heart may show changes in the way the heart is working); encephalopathy (alteration of brain function); syndrome of irreversible lithium effectuated neurotoxicity (permanent nerve tissue damage); kidney problems, which may not be reversible (symptoms may include passing a lot of urine, or feeling thirsty and swollen ankles); benign/malignant kidney tumours (microcysts, oncocytoma or collecting duct renal carcinoma) (in long-term therapy); parkinsonism (a condition characterised by tremor, slow body movements, rigid muscles, inability to stand steady, tendency to stoop, and a shuffling walk); thyroid problem and a condition known as parathyroid adenoma (a non-cancerous tumour close to the thyroid gland in the neck that controls the use and removal of calcium); oedema (usually seen as swelling caused by too much fluid); weight gain, loss of appetite or too much calcium, magnesium or sugar in the blood; hand tremor, vertigo, dazed feeling, not being able to think clearly, difficulty remembering, fits, changes of the sense of taste, shaky movements, slurred speech, dizziness, rapid eye movements, blurred vision, or blind spots in the eyesight, unconsciousness, coma and myasthenia gravis (a long-term disease characterised by abnormal tiredness and muscle weakness); skin problems including worsening of psoriasis, hair loss, acne, soreness around the hair root, itching rashes and redness of the skin; low blood pressure; blood tests can show an increase in white blood cells (leucocytosis); sickness, feeling sick, diarrhoea, upset stomach, dry mouth or too much saliva; sexual problems including being unable to get an erection, having delayed ejaculation or being unable to have an orgasm; abnormal taste sensation.
It is important to have the right level of lithium in the blood. If it is too high, then a side effect is more likely to occur.
Tell the family about lithium side effects so they know what to look for too.
Reporting side effects: If any side effects occur, talk to the doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this monograph.
By reporting side effects, the patient can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.

Other medicines and CAMCOLIT: Tell the doctor or pharmacist if taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines.
Tell the doctor if taking any of the following: These medicines may increase the amount of lithium in the body making the patient more likely to have side effects: any medicine which may cause kidney problems; antibiotics called tetracyclines, metronidazole, co-trimoxazole, trimethoprim and spectinomycin; non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g. diclofenac or ibuprofen) including COX-II inhibitors such as celecoxib (used for rheumatism and for other pains; pain killers of this type can also be obtained without a prescription so check with the pharmacist before buying them); a group of medicines for the heart or blood pressure called ACE inhibitors such as ramipril or lisinopril, or angiotensin II receptor antagonists such as losartan or irbesartan; diuretics (water tablets), including herbal preparations; steroids used for inflammation and allergies (such as prednisolone, betamethasone or hydrocortisone).
These medicines may decrease the amount of lithium in the body meaning it will not work as well: theophylline (for asthma), or caffeine; anything containing sodium bicarbonate; a special group of diuretics (water tablets) called carbonic anhydrase inhibitors; urea used to treat skin conditions.
These medicines may cause other side effects when taken with CAMCOLIT: medicines used to treat schizophrenia such as haloperidol, olanzapine or clozapine; carbamazepine, phenytoin or clonazepam used for epilepsy; methyldopa used for the treatment of high blood pressure; antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) e.g. fluoxetine or paroxetine, or tricyclics e.g. amitriptyline, or tetracyclics; calcium channel blockers for angina, high blood pressure or other heart problems such as amlodipine or diltiazem; muscle relaxants used in anaesthesia; non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as indomethacin used to reduce pain and inflammation; triptans such as sumatriptan used for migraine.
Risk of serious heart rhythm disorders when CAMCOLIT is taken with some medicines including: quinidine, procainamide, disopyramide, amiodarone, ajmaline, cibenzoline, hydroquinidine, azimilide, dofetilide, ibutilide and sotalol all for heart rhythm disorders; ranolazine for heart disease (angina); arsenic trioxide for the treatment of leukaemia; erythromycin (given into a vein) and sparfloxacin for the treatment of infections; amisulpride, haloperidol, pimozide, sertindole, mesoridazine, clozaril, droperidol and thioridazine for schizophrenia and other behavioural disorders; terfenadine and astemizole (antihistamines); cisapride used to treat stomach and gut problems; mefloquine, artemisinin derivatives and halofantrine used to prevent malaria; ketanserin which may be used for high blood pressure; dolasetron which may be used for nausea (feeling sick) and vomiting (being sick) following chemotherapy.
CAMCOLIT with food and drink: It does not matter if CAMCOLIT is taken with or without food but if the patient wants to go on any sort of diet, he/she should talk to the doctor first. Any large changes in water intake or how much sodium (salt) is in the diet may mean needing blood monitoring more often.

Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask the pharmacist how to throw away medicines no longer used. These measures will help protect the environment.

Do not store above 25°C.
Keep the container tightly closed.

Antidepressants

N05AN01 - lithium ; Belongs to the class of lithium antipsychotics.

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