Professional Information — Perphenazine And Amitriptyline Hydrochloride

Indications and Usage

Perphenazine and amitriptyline hydrochloride tablets are recommended for treatment of (1) patients with moderate to severe anxiety and/or agitation and depressed mood, (2) patients with depression in whom anxiety and/or agitation are severe, and (3) patients with depression and anxiety in association with chronic physical disease. In many of these patients, anxiety masks the depressive state so that, although therapy with a tranquilizer appears to be indicated, the administration of a tranquilizer alone will not be adequate.

Schizophrenic patients who have associated depressive symptoms should be considered for therapy with perphenazine and amitriptyline hydrochloride tablets.

Dosage and Administration

Since dosage for children has not been established, this product is not recommended for use in children.

The total daily dose of perphenazine and amitriptyline hydrochloride tablets should not exceed 16 mg of perphenazine and 200 mg of amitriptyline hydrochloride.

Initial Dosage

In psychoneurotic patients when anxiety and depression are of such a degree as to warrant combined therapy, one tablet of the 2 mg/25 mg or 4 mg/25 mg three or four times a day or one tablet of the 4 mg/50 mg combination twice a day is recommended.

In more severely ill patients with schizophrenia, the 4 mg/25 mg combination is recommended in an initial dose of two tablets three times a day. If necessary, a fourth dose may be given at bedtime.

In elderly patients and adolescents, and some other patients in whom anxiety tends to predominate, perphenazine and amitriptyline hydrochloride tablet 4 mg/10 mg combination may be administered three or four times a day initially, then adjusted as required for subsequent adequate therapy.

Maintenance Dosage

Depending on the condition being treated, therapeutic response may take from a few days to a few weeks or even longer. After a satisfactory response is noted, dosage should be reduced to the smallest amount necessary to obtain relief from the symptoms for which this product is being administered. A useful maintenance dosage is one tablet of the 2 mg/25 mg or 4 mg/25 mg combination two to four times a day or one tablet of the 4 mg/50 mg combination twice a day. Perphenazine and amitriptyline hydrochloride tablets, 2 mg/10 mg and 4 mg/10 mg can be used to increase flexibility in adjusting maintenance dosage to the lowest amount consistent with relief of symptoms. In some patients, maintenance dosage is required for many months.

Contraindications

Perphenazine and amitriptyline hydrochloride tablets are contraindicated in depression of the central nervous system from drugs (barbiturates, alcohol, narcotics, analgesics, antihistamines); in the presence of evidence of bone marrow depression; and in patients known to be hypersensitive to phenothiazines or amitriptyline.

It should not be given concomitantly with monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Hyperpyretic crises, severe convulsions, and deaths have occurred in patients receiving tricyclic antidepressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitors simultaneously. When it is desired to replace a monoamine oxidase inhibitor with perphenazine and amitriptyline hydrochloride, a minimum of 14 days should be allowed to elapse after the former is discontinued. Perphenazine and amitriptyline hydrochloride should then be initiated cautiously with gradual increase in dosage until optimum response is achieved.

Amitriptyline hydrochloride is not recommended for use during the acute recovery phase following myocardial infarction.

Adverse Reactions

To date, clinical evaluation of perphenazine has not revealed any adverse reactions peculiar to the combination. The adverse reactions that occurred were limited to those that have been reported previously for perphenazine and amitriptyline.

Treatment with perphenazine and amitriptyline hydrochloride is commonly associated with sedation, hypertension, neurological impairments and dry mouth.

Perphenazine

The common acute neurological effects of neuroleptic drugs, including perphenazine, consist of dystonia, akathisia or motor restlessness, and pseudoparkinsonism.

More chronic use of neuroleptics may be associated with the development of tardive dyskinesia. The salient features of this syndrome are described in the WARNINGS section and below.

The following adverse reactions have been reported and, within each category, are listed in order of decreasing severity.

Neurological

Tardive Dyskinesia

The syndrome is characterized by involuntary choreoathetoid movements which variously involve the tongue, face, mouth, lips, or jaw (e.g., protrusion of the tongue, puffing of cheeks, puckering of the mouth, chewing movements), trunk and extremities. The severity of the syndrome and the degree of impairment produced vary widely.

The syndrome may become clinically recognizable either during treatment, upon dosage reduction, or upon withdrawal of treatment. Movements may decrease in intensity and may disappear altogether if further treatment with neuroleptics is withheld. It is generally believed that reversibility is more likely after short rather than long term neuroleptic exposure. Consequently, early detection of tardive dyskinesia is important. To increase the likelihood of detecting the syndrome at the earliest possible time, the dosage of neuroleptic drug should be reduced periodically (if clinically possible) and the patient observed for signs of the disorder. It has been suggested that fine vermicular movements of the tongue may be an early sign of the syndrome, and that the full blown syndrome may not develop if medication is stopped when lingual vermiculation appears.

1. 1. Dystonia: Class Effect: Symptoms of dystonia, prolonged abnormal contractions of muscle groups, may occur in susceptible individuals during the first few days of treatment. Dystonic symptoms include: spasm of the neck muscles, sometimes progressing to tightness of the throat, swallowing difficulty, difficulty breathing, and/or protrusion of the tongue. While these symptoms can occur at low doses, they occur more frequently and with greater severity with high potency and at higher doses of first generation antipsychotic drugs. An elevated risk of acute dystonia is observed in males and younger age groups.
2. 2. Akathisia: Akathisia presents as constant motor restlessness. The patient with akathisia often complains, when asked, about his/her inability to stop moving. Akathisia should not be treated with an increased dose of neuroleptic; rather, the dose of antipsychotic may be lowered until the motor restlessness has subsided. The efficacy of anticholinergic treatment of this side effect is unestablished.
3. 3. Pseudoparkinsonism: Pseudoparkinsonism refers to a drug-induced state similar to the classic syndrome. Generally, anticholinergic antiparkinsonian agents (i.e., benztropine, biperiden, procyclidine, or trihexphenidyl) and amantadine are helpful in alleviating symptoms that cannot be managed by neuroleptic dose reduction. The value of prophylactic antiparkinsonian drug therapy has not been established. The need for continued use of antiparkinsonian medication should be reevaluated periodically.

Cardiovascular

Hypotension, hypertension, tachycardia, peripheral edema, occasional change in pulse rate, ECG abnormalities (quinidine like effect), reversed epinephrine effect.

CNS and Neuromuscular

Extrapyramidal symptoms, including acute dyskinesia (see Neurological), reactivation of psychoses and production of catatonic like states, paradoxical excitement, ataxia, muscle weakness, hypnotic effects, mild insomnia, lassitude, headache, hyperflexia, altered cerebrospinal fluid proteins.

Autonomic: Urinary frequency or incontinence, dry mouth or salivation, nasal congestion.

Allergic: Anaphylactoid reactions, laryngeal edema, asthma, angioneurotic edema.

Hematologic: Blood dyscrasias including pancytopenia, agranulocytosis, leukopenia, thrombocytopenic purpura, eosinophilia.

Gastrointestinal: Liver damage (jaundice, biliary stasis), obstipation, vomiting, nausea, constipation, anorexia.

Dermatologic: Eczema up to exfoliative dermatitis, urticaria, erythema, itching, photosensitivity.

Ophthalmic: Pigmentation of the cornea and lens, blurred vision.

Endocrine: Lactation, galactorrhea, hyperglycemia, gynecomastia, disturbances in menstrual cycle.

Other: False positive pregnancy tests, including immunologic.

Other adverse reactions that should be considered because they have been reported with various phenothiazine compounds, but not with perphenazine, include:

CNS and Neuromuscular: Grand mal convulsions, cerebral edema.

Gastrointestinal: Polyphagia.

Dermatologic: Photophobia, pigmentation.

Ophthalmic: Pigmentary retinopathy.

Endocrine: Failure of ejaculation.

Amitriptyline Hydrochloride

Within each category the following adverse reactions are listed in order of decreasing severity. Included in the listing which follows are a few adverse reactions which have not been reported with this specific drug. However, pharmacological similarities among the tricyclic antidepressant drugs require that each of the reactions be considered when amitriptyline is administered.

Cardiovascular: Myocardial infarction, stroke, heart block, arrhythmias, hypotension, particularly orthostatic hypotension, hypertension, tachycardia, palpitation.

CNS and Neuromuscular: Coma, seizures, hallucinations, delusions, confusional states, disorientation, incoordination, ataxia, tremors, peripheral neuropathy, numbness, tingling and paresthesias of the extremities, extrapyramidal symptoms, dysarthria, disturbed concentration, excitement, anxiety, insomnia, restlessness, nightmares, drowsiness, dizziness, weakness, fatigue, headache, syndrome of inappropriate ADH (antidiuretic hormone) secretion, tinnitus, alteration in EEG patterns.

Anticholinergic: Paralytic ileus, hyperpyrexia, urinary retention, dilatation of urinary tract, constipation, blurred vision, disturbance of accommodation, increased intraocular pressure, mydriasis, dry mouth.

Allergic: Skin rash, urticaria, photosensitization, edema of face and tongue.

Hematologic: Bone marrow depression including agranulocytosis, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, purpura, eosinophilia.

Gastrointestinal: Rarely hepatitis (including altered liver function and jaundice), nausea, epigastric distress, vomiting, anorexia, stomatitis, peculiar taste, diarrhea, parotid swelling, black tongue.

Endocrine: Testicular swelling and gynecomastia in the male, breast enlargement and galactorrhea in the female, increased or decreased libido, elevation and lowering of blood sugar levels.

Other: Alopecia, edema, weight gain or loss, urinary frequency, increased perspiration, and hyponatremia.

Withdrawal Symptoms

After prolonged administration, abrupt cessation of treatment may produce nausea, headache, and malaise. Gradual dosage reduction has been reported to produce, within 2 weeks, transient symptoms including irritability, restlessness, and dream and sleep disturbance. These symptoms are not indicative of addiction. Rare instances have been reported of mania or hypomania occurring within 2 to 7 days following cessation of chronic therapy with tricyclic antidepressants.

Drug Interactions

Topiramate

Some patients may experience a large increase in amitriptyline concentration in the presence of topiramate and any adjustments in amitriptyline dose should be made according to the patient’s clinical response and not on the basis of plasma levels.

Drugs Metabolized by P450 2D6

The biochemical activity of the drug metabolizing isozyme cytochrome P450 2D6 (debrisoquin hydroxylase) is reduced in a subset of the Caucasian population (about 7% to 10% of Caucasians are so called "poor metabolizers"); reliable estimates of the prevalence of reduced P450 2D6 isozyme activity among Asian, African, and other populations are not yet available. Poor metabolizers have higher than expected plasma concentrations of tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) when given usual doses. Depending on the fraction of drug metabolized by P450 2D6, the increase in plasma concentration may be small, or quite large (8-fold increase in plasma AUC of the TCA).

In addition, certain drugs inhibit the activity of this isozyme and make normal metabolizers resemble poor metabolizers. An individual who is stable on a given dose of TCA may become abruptly toxic when given one of these inhibiting drugs as concomitant therapy. The drugs that inhibit cytochrome P450 2D6 include some that are not metabolized by the enzyme (quinidine; cimetidine) and many that are substrates for P450 2D6 (many other antidepressants, phenothiazines, and the Type 1C antiarrhythmics propafenone and flecainide). While all the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), e.g., fluoxetine, sertraline, and paroxetine, inhibit P450 2D6, they may vary in the extent of inhibition. The extent to which SSRI TCA interactions may pose clinical problems will depend on the degree of inhibition and the pharmacokinetics of the SSRI involved. Nevertheless, caution is indicated in the coadministration of TCAs with any of the SSRIs and also in switching from one class to the other. Of particular importance, sufficient time must elapse before initiating TCA treatment in a patient being withdrawn from fluoxetine, given the long half-life of the parent and active metabolite (at least 5 weeks may be necessary).

Concomitant use of tricyclic antidepressants with drugs that can inhibit cytochrome P450 2D6 may require lower doses than usually prescribed for either the tricyclic antidepressant or the other drug. Furthermore, whenever one of these other drugs is withdrawn from cotherapy, an increased dose of tricyclic antidepressant may be required. It is desirable to monitor TCA plasma levels whenever a TCA is going to be coadministered with another drug known to be an inhibitor of P450 2D6.

Perphenazine

Patients on large doses of a phenothiazine drug who are undergoing surgery should be watched carefully for possible hypotensive phenomena. Moreover, reduced amounts of anesthetics or central nervous system depressants may be necessary.

Since phenothiazines and central nervous system depressants (opiates, analgesics, antihistamines, barbiturates) can potentiate each other, less than the usual dosage of the added drug is recommended and caution is advised when they are administered concomitantly.

Use with caution in patients who are receiving atropine or related drugs because of the additive anticholinergic effects and also in patients who will be exposed to extreme heat or organic phosphate insecticides.

The use of alcohol should be avoided, since additive effects and hypotension may occur. Patients should be cautioned that their response to alcohol may be increased while they are being treated with perphenazine and amitriptyline hydrochloride tablets. The risk of suicide and the danger of overdose may be increased in patients who use alcohol excessively due to the potentiation of the drug's effect.

Amitriptyline Hydrochloride

When amitriptyline hydrochloride is given with anticholinergic agents or sympathomimetic drugs, including epinephrine combined with local anesthetics, close supervision and careful adjustment of dosages are required.

Hyperpyrexia has been reported when amitriptyline is administered with anticholinergic agents or with neuroleptic drugs, particularly during hot weather.

Paralytic ileus may occur in patients taking tricyclic antidepressants in combination with anticholinergic type drugs.

This drug may enhance the response to alcohol and the effects of barbiturates and other CNS depressants.

Concurrent administration of amitriptyline hydrochloride and electroshock therapy may increase the hazards associated with such therapy. Such treatment should be limited to patients for whom it is essential.

Discontinue the drug several days before elective surgery, if possible.

Concurrent administration of cimetidine and tricyclic antidepressants can produce clinically significant increases in the plasma concentrations of the tricyclic antidepressant. Serious anticholinergic symptoms (severe dry mouth, urinary retention, blurred vision) have been associated with elevations in the serum levels of the tricyclic antidepressant when cimetidine is added to the drug regimen. Additionally, higher than expected steady-state serum concentrations of the tricyclic antidepressant have been observed when therapy is initiated in patients taking cimetidine.

Alternatively, decreases in the steady-state serum concentration of the tricyclic antidepressant have been reported in well controlled patients on concurrent therapy upon discontinuance of cimetidine. The therapeutic efficacy of the tricyclic antidepressant may be compromised in these patients as the cimetidine is discontinued.

Caution is advised if patients receive large doses of ethchlorvynol concurrently. Transient delirium has been reported in patients who were treated with 1 g of ethchlorvynol and 75 mg to 150 mg of amitriptyline hydrochloride.

Overdosage

 Deaths may occur from overdosage with this class of drugs. Multiple drug ingestion (including alcohol) is common in deliberate overdose. As the management is complex and changing, it is recommended that the physician contact a poison control center for current information on treatment. Signs and symptoms of toxicity develop rapidly after overdose, therefore, hospital monitoring is required as soon as possible.

Manifestations

Overdosage of perphenazine and amitriptyline hydrochloride tablets may cause any of the adverse reactions listed for perphenazine or amitriptyline hydrochloride.

Overdosage of perphenazine usually produces extrapyramidal symptoms such as dyskinesia and dystonia as described under ADVERSE REACTIONS, but this may be masked by the anticholinergic effects of amitriptyline. Other symptoms may include stupor or coma; children may have convulsive seizures.

Critical manifestations of tricyclic antidepressant overdose includes: cardiac dysrhythmias, severe hypotension, convulsions, and CNS depression, including coma. Changes in the electrocardiogram, particularly in QRS axis or width, are clinically significant indicators of tricyclic antidepressant toxicity. Other signs of overdose may include: confusion, disturbed concentration, transient visual hallucinations, dilated pupils, agitation, hyperactive reflexes, stupor, drowsiness, muscle rigidity, vomiting, hypothermia, hyperpyrexia, or any of the symptoms listed under ADVERSE REACTIONS.

Management

General

Obtain an ECG and immediately initiate cardiac monitoring. Protect the patient's airway, establish an intravenous line, and initiate gastric decontamination. A minimum of 6 hours of observation with cardiac monitoring and observation for signs of CNS or respiratory depression, hypotension, cardiac dysrhythmias and/or conduction blocks, and seizures is necessary. If signs of toxicity occur at any time during this period, extended monitoring is required. There are case reports of patients succumbing to fatal dysrhythmias late after overdose; these patients had clinical evidence of significant poisoning prior to death and most received inadequate gastrointestinal decontamination. Monitoring of plasma drug levels should not guide management of the patient.

Gastrointestinal Decontamination

All patients suspected of tricyclic antidepressant overdose should receive gastrointestinal decontamination. This should include large volume gastric lavage followed by activated charcoal. If consciousness is impaired, the airway should be secured prior to lavage. Emesis is contraindicated.

Cardiovascular

A maximal limb lead QRS duration of ≥ 0.10 seconds may be the best indication of the severity of the overdose. Serum alkalinization, to a pH of 7.45 to 7.55, using intravenous sodium bicarbonate and hyperventilation (as needed) should be instituted for patients with dysrhythmias and/or QRS widening. A pH > 7.60 or a pCO₂ < 20 mm Hg is undesirable. Dysrhythmias unresponsive to sodium bicarbonate therapy/hyperventilation may respond to lidocaine, bretylium, or phenytoin. Type 1A and 1C antiarrhythmics are generally contraindicated (e.g., quinidine, disopyramide, and procainamide).

In rare instances, hemoperfusion may be beneficial in acute refractory cardiovascular instability in patients with acute toxicity. However, hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, exchange transfusions, and forced diuresis generally have been reported as ineffective in tricyclic antidepressant poisoning.

CNS

In patients with CNS depression, early intubation is advised because of the potential for abrupt deterioration. Seizures should be controlled with benzodiazepines, or if these are ineffective, other anticonvulsants (e.g., phenobarbital, phenytoin). Physostigmine is not recommended except to treat life threatening symptoms that have been unresponsive to other therapies, and then only in consultation with a poison control center.

Psychiatric Follow-Up

Since overdosage is often deliberate, patients may attempt suicide by other means during the recovery phase. Psychiatric referral may be appropriate.

Pediatric Management

The principles of management of child and adult overdosages are similar. It is strongly recommended that the physician contact the local poison control center for specific pediatric treatment.

Description

Perphenazine and amitriptyline hydrochloride, a broad spectrum psychotherapeutic agent for the management of outpatients and hospitalized patients with psychoses or neuroses characterized by mixtures of anxiety or agitation with symptoms of depression, is a combination of perphenazine and amitriptyline hydrochloride. Since such mixed syndromes can occur in patients with various degrees of intensity of mental illness, perphenazine and amitriptyline hydrochloride tablets are provided in multiple combinations to afford dosage flexibility for optimum management.

Perphenazine is a phenothiazine derivative. The formula is 4-[3-(2-chloro-10H-phenothiazin-10yl) propyl]-piperazineethanol. Perphenazine, USP is a white, odorless, bitter tasting powder that is insoluble in water. The molecular weight is 403.97. Its structural formula is:

Amitriptyline is a dibenzocycloheptadiene derivative. The formula is 10,11-dihydro-N,N-dimethyl-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cycloheptene-∆⁵,γ -propylamine hydrochloride. Amitriptyline hydrochloride, USP is a white, odorless, crystalline compound which is freely soluble in water. The molecular weight is 313.87. Its structural formula is:

Each tablet for oral administration contains the following inactive ingredients: colloidal silicon dioxide, croscarmellose sodium, hypromellose, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, polyethylene glycol, pregelatinized starch (corn), sodium lauryl sulfate and titanium dioxide.

The following additional product specific inactive ingredients are employed:

2 mg/10 mg - hydroxypropyl cellulose
2 mg/25 mg - hydroxypropyl cellulose
4 mg/10 mg - polysorbate 80
4 mg/25 mg - hydroxypropyl cellulose
4 mg/50 mg - hydroxypropyl cellulose

The following product specific coloring agents are employed:

2 mg/10 mg - calcium sulfate, talc
2 mg/25 mg - D&C Red No. 7 Calcium Lake, FD&C Blue No. 1 Aluminum Lake
4 mg/10 mg - FD&C Blue No. 1 Aluminum Lake
4 mg/25 mg - FD&C Yellow No. 6 Aluminum Lake
4 mg/50 mg - D&C Red No. 7 Calcium Lake, FD&C Blue No. 1 Aluminum Lake

Clinical Pharmacology

Perphenazine

In common with all members of the piperazine group of phenothiazine derivatives, perphenazine has greater behavioral potency than phenothiazine derivatives of other groups without a corresponding increase in autonomic, hematologic, or hepatic side effects.

Extrapyramidal effects, however, may occur more frequently. These effects are interpreted as neuropharmacologic. They usually regress after discontinuation of the drug.

Perphenazine is a potent tranquilizer and also a potent antiemetic. Orally, its milligram potency is about 5 or 6 times that of chlorpromazine with respect to behavioral effects. It is capable of alleviating symptoms of anxiety, tension, psychomotor excitement, and other manifestations of emotional stress without apparent dulling of mental acuity.

Amitriptyline Hydrochloride

Amitriptyline hydrochloride is an antidepressant with sedative effects. Its mechanism of action in man is not known. It is not a monoamine oxidase inhibitor and it does not act primarily by stimulation of the central nervous system.

How Supplied / Storage and Handling

Perphenazine and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride Tablets, USP are available in the following combinations:

The 2 mg/10 mg combination tablets are white, film-coated, round, unscored tablets debossed with MYLAN on one side of the tablet and 330 on the other side. They are available as follows:

NDC 0378-0330-01
bottles of 100 tablets

The 2 mg/25 mg combination tablets are purple, film-coated, round, unscored tablets debossed with MYLAN on one side of the tablet and 442 on the other side. They are available as follows:

NDC 0378-0442-01
bottles of 100 tablets

The 4 mg/10 mg combination tablets are blue, film-coated, round, unscored tablets debossed with MYLAN on one side of the tablet and 727 on the other side. They are available as follows:

NDC 0378-0042-01
bottles of 100 tablets

The 4 mg/25 mg combination tablets are orange, film-coated, round, unscored tablets debossed with MYLAN on one side of the tablet and 574 on the other side. They are available as follows:

NDC 0378-0574-01
bottles of 100 tablets

The 4 mg/50 mg combination tablets are purple, film-coated, round, unscored tablets debossed with MYLAN on one side of the tablet and 73 on the other side. They are available as follows:

NDC 0378-0073-01
bottles of 100 tablets

Store at 20° to 25°C (68° to 77°F). [See USP Controlled Room Temperature.]

Protect from light.

Dispense in a tight, light-resistant container as defined in the USP using a child-resistant closure.

PHARMACIST: Dispense a Medication Guide with each prescription.

* Poisindex Toxicologic Management. Topic: Antidepressants, Tricyclic. Micromedex Inc. Vol 85.

Patient Counseling Information

While on therapy with perphenazine and amitriptyline hydrochloride, patients should be advised as to the possible impairment of mental and/or physical abilities required for performance of hazardous tasks, such as operating machinery or driving a motor vehicle.

Prescribers or other health professionals should inform patients, their families, and their caregivers about the benefits and risks associated with treatment with perphenazine and amitriptyline hydrochloride and should counsel them in its appropriate use. A patient Medication Guide about “Antidepressant Medicines, Depression and other Serious Mental Illnesses and Suicidal Thoughts or Actions” is available for perphenazine and amitriptyline hydrochloride. The prescriber or health professional should instruct patients, their families, and their caregivers to read the Medication Guide and should assist them in understanding its contents. Patients should be given the opportunity to discuss the contents of the Medication Guide and to obtain answers to any questions they may have. The complete text of the Medication Guide is reprinted at the end of this document.

Patients should be advised of the following issues and asked to alert their prescriber if these occur while taking perphenazine and amitriptyline hydrochloride.

Patients should be advised that taking perphenazine and amitriptyline hydrochloride can cause mild pupillary dilation, which in susceptible individuals, can lead to an episode of angle-closure glaucoma. Pre-existing glaucoma is almost always open-angle glaucoma because angle-closure glaucoma, when diagnosed, can be treated definitively with iridectomy. Open-angle glaucoma is not a risk factor for angle-closure glaucoma. Patients may wish to be examined to determine whether they are susceptible to angle closure, and have a prophylactic procedure (e.g., iridectomy), if they are susceptible.

Clinical Worsening and Suicide Risk

Patients, their families and their caregivers should be encouraged to be alert to the emergence of anxiety, agitation, panic attacks, insomnia, irritability, hostility, aggressiveness, impulsivity, akathisia (psychomotor restlessness), hypomania, mania, other unusual changes in behavior, worsening of depression, and suicidal ideation, especially early during antidepressant treatment and when the dose is adjusted up or down. Families and caregivers of patients should be advised to look for the emergence of such symptoms on a day to day basis, since changes may be abrupt. Such symptoms should be reported to the patient's prescriber or health professional, especially if they are severe, abrupt in onset, or were not part of the patient's presenting symptoms. Symptoms such as these may be associated with an increased risk for suicidal thinking and behavior and indicate a need for very close monitoring and possibly changes in the medication.