Norgesic

orphenadrine

Norgesic relaxes tight muscles and relieves pain, cramping, and stiffness so you can move around more and get back to doing your daily activities. Orphenadrine acts in the central nervous system (CNS) to produce its muscle relaxant effects. It can be used as the main analgesic/muscle relaxant in cases of, for example, sports injuries, or as an atypical (adjuvant) analgesic and/or adjunct to typical analgesics such as opioids and Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) and for reduction of some histamine-related side effects of opioids, especially codeine and its semi-synthetic derivatives.

What is Norgesic?

Norgesic - Orphenadrine belongs to a class of drugs called muscle relaxants. Norgesic is a drug which works in the brain stem by blocking certain aspects of the reticular activating system. Consequently, it is used in treating muscle spasms and other muscular problems. Orphenadrine is active substance in Norgesic and it works by reducing muscle spasm and pain of varying etiologies and types, acute pain of injury and other causes as well as chronic and recurring acute pain syndromes producing nociceptive and/or neuropathic pain.

Before taking Norgesic

Before taking this medication, tell your doctor if you have:

• kidney disease,
• liver disease,
• a stomach or intestinal ulcer or obstruction,
• a bleeding or blood clotting disorder,
• glaucoma,
• an enlarged prostate or a blockage of the urinary tract (difficulty urinating), or
• myasthenia gravis.

You may not be able to take Norgesic, or you may require a dosage adjustment or special monitoring during treatment if you have any of the conditions listed above.

How should I take Norgesic?

Take Norgesic exactly as directed by your doctor. If you do not understand these directions, ask your pharmacist, nurse, or doctor to explain them to you. Take each dose with a full glass of water. Do not take more of this medication than is prescribed. If the pain is not being adequately treated, talk to your doctor.

The dose of orphenadrine and aspirin combination medicine will be different for different people. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label.

If you miss a dose of this medicine and remember within an hour or so of the missed dose, take it right away. But if you do not remember until later, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses.

Norgesic side effects

Less serious side effects may be more likely to occur. Continue to take Norgesic if you experience: drowsiness or dizziness, headache, tremor, blurred vision or large pupils, difficulty urinating, hiccups, faint ringing in the ears or nausea, vomiting, or constipation. Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome.

Call your doctor immediately if you experience a rash, itching, a fever, or nasal congestion during treatment with Norgesic. Watch for bloody, black, or tarry stools or bloody vomit. This could indicate damage to the stomach.

Precautions

Use caution when driving, operating machinery, or performing other hazardous activities. Norgesic may cause dizziness or drowsiness. If you experience dizziness or drowsiness, avoid these activities. Use alcohol cautiously. Alcohol may increase drowsiness and dizziness while taking Norgesic. Also, in combination with aspirin, alcohol can be damaging to the stomach.

Norgesic is not approved for use by children younger than 12 years of age. Do not use any medication that contains aspirin to treat a child or teenager who has a fever, flu symptoms, or chicken pox without first talking to a doctor. In children younger than 20 years of age, aspirin may increase the risk of Reye's syndrome, a rare but often fatal condition.

Drug interactions

Do not take Norgesic without first talking to your doctor if you are taking any of the following medicines:

• an anticoagulant such as warfarin (Coumadin), heparin, enoxaparin (Lovenox), dalteparin (Fragmin), danaparoid (Orgaran), ardeparin (Normiflo), or tinzaparin (Innohep);
• a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) such as ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil, Nuprin, others), ketoprofen (Orudis, Orudis KT, Oruvail), naproxen (Naprosyn, Anaprox, Aleve), diclofenac (Voltaren, Cataflam), nabumetone (Relafen), oxaprozin (Daypro), piroxicam (Feldene), etodolac (Lodine), fenoprofen (Nalfon), flurbiprofen (Ansaid), indomethacin (Indocin), ketorolac (Toradol), sulindac (Clinoril), or tolmetin (Tolectin); or
• another salicylate such as aspirin (Acuprin, Ecotrin, Ascriptin, Bayer, others); choline salicylate and/or magnesium salicylate (Magan, Doan's, Bayer Select Backache Pain Formula, Mobidin, Arthropan, Trilisate, Tricosal), or salsalate (Disalcid).

Preganacy

It is not known whether Norgesic will be harmful to an unborn baby. Do not take Norgesic without first talking to your doctor if you are pregnant or could become pregnant during treatment. It is not known whether Norgesic passes into breast milk. Do not take Norgesic without first talking to your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

Overdose

Symptoms of an Norgesic overdose include headache; ringing in the ears; nausea; vomiting; diarrhea; dry mouth; weakness; confusion; decreased breathing; seizures; cold, clammy skin; and unconsciousness.

Notes

This information is a summary only. It does not contain all information about Norgesic. If you have any other questions about Norgesic, please talk with your doctor, pharmacist, or other health care provider.