Contact 1-800-222-1222 (the American Association of Poison Control Centers), your local, or emergency room immediately. Difena patch may be harmful if swallowed.
Proper storage of Difena patch:
Store Difena patch at 77 degrees F (25 degrees C) in the sealed pouch. Brief storage between 59 and 86 degrees F (15 and 30 degrees C) is permitted. Store away from heat, moisture, and light. Do not store in the bathroom. Throw away any unused patches 3 months after opening the pouch. The pouch is not child-resistant. Keep Difena patch out of the reach of children and away from pets.
Overdose of Difena in details
When a dose is taken in higher dose than the recommended doses, it is called Overdose. Overdose always needs a clinical supervision. Any medicine or drug when consumed in Overdose produces untoward side effects on one or various organs in the body. A medicine is excreted in the kidney or metabolized in the liver most of the times. This process goes without any hurdles when taken in normal dose, but when taken in an overdose, the body is not able to metabolize it or send it out properly which causes the effects of anoverdose.
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Symptoms: There is no typical clinical picture resulting from Difena overdosage. Overdosage can cause symptoms such as vomiting, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, diarrhea, dizziness, tinnitus or convulsions. In the event of significant poisoning, acute renal failure and liver damage are possible.
Therapeutic Measures: Management of acute poisoning with NSAIDs, including Difena, essentially consists of supportive measures and symptomatic treatment. Supportive measures and symptomatic treatment should be given for complications such as hypotension, renal failure, convulsions, gastrointestinal disorder, and respiratory depression.
Special measures such as forced diuresis, dialysis, or hemoperfusion are probably of no help in eliminating NSAIDs, including Difena, due to the high protein binding and extensive metabolism.
Activated charcoal may be considered after ingestion of a potentially toxic overdose, and gastric decontamination (e.g. vomiting, gastric lavage) after ingestion of a potentially life-threatening overdose.
Gastro-Resistant/SR Tablets: Activated charcoal may be considered after ingestion of a potentially toxic overdose, and gastric decontamination (e.g. vomiting, gastric lavage) after ingestion of a potentially life-threatening overdose.
What should I avoid while taking Difena?
Ask a doctor or pharmacist before using any cold, allergy, or other pain medicine. Medicines similar to Difena are contained in many combination medicines. Taking certain products together can cause you to get too much of this type of medication. Check the label to see if a medicine contains aspirin, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, or naproxen.
Avoid drinking alcohol. It may increase your risk of stomach bleeding.
Avoid exposure to sunlight or tanning beds. Difena can make you sunburn more easily. Wear protective clothing and use sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher) when you are outdoors.
Difena warnings
Warnings are a mix of Precautions. Contraindications and interactions and serious harmful effects associated with the medicine intake. A diabetic or Hypertensive patient need to be warned about few drug interactions. A known hypersensitivity patient needs to be careful about the reactions or anaphylactic shock. A pregnant woman or a breastfeeding woman should be warned of certain medications. A Hepatitis [liver disease] patient or a cardiac patient should avoid few drugs.
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Difena should be used cautiously with the elderly. In patients with congestive heart failure, hypertension, decreased renal, or hepatic function, history of gastrointestinal disease or those receiving anticoagulants.
Difena 50 DT is recommended for short-term treatment only.
Use in Pregnancy and Lactation:
Difena should not be used during pregnancy particularly the last three months owing to the possibility of uterine inertia and/or premature closure of the ductus arteriosus.
Difena is excreted in breast milk, but in quantities so small that no undesirable effects on the infant are to be expected.
Management of acute poisoning with NSAIDs consists essentially of supportive and symptomatic measures. There is no typical clinical picture associated with overdosage of Difena.
The following therapeutic measures should be taken in cases of overdosage:
Absorption should be prevented as soon as possible after the overdosage by means of gastric lavage and treatment with activated charcoal.
Supportive and symptomatic treatment should be given for complications such as hypotension, renal failure, convulsions, gastrointestinal irritation and respiratory depression.
Specific therapy such as forced diuresis, dialysis or haemoperfusion is unlikely to be helpful in accelerating the elimination of NSAIDs because of their high protein binding rate and extensive metabolism.
What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking Difena?
Difena can increase your risk of fatal heart attack or stroke, especially if you use it long term or take high doses, or if you have heart disease. Even people without heart disease or risk factors could have a stroke or heart attack while taking Difena.
Do not use this medicine just before or after heart bypass surgery (coronary artery bypass graft, or CABG).
Difena may also cause stomach or intestinal bleeding, which can be fatal. These conditions can occur without warning while you are using Difena, especially in older adults.
You should not use Difena if you are allergic to Difena, or if you have ever had an asthma attack or severe allergic reaction after taking aspirin or an NSAID.
To make sure Difena is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have:
heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or if you smoke;
a history of heart attack, stroke, or blood clot;
a history of stomach ulcers or bleeding;
asthma;
liver or kidney disease;
fluid retention.
Taking Difena during the last 3 months of pregnancy may harm the unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.
It is not known whether Difena passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. You should not breast-feed while using this medicine.
Difena is not approved for use by anyone younger than 18 years old.
Difena precautions
Certain people who are very sick or very old or who are sensitive show an exacerbation of side effect of the drug which can turn dangerous at times. So, it is very important to remember the precautions while taking the medicine. Pregnancy and Breastfeeding are also special categories wherein extra care or precaution is needed when taking a drug. Few patients may have a hypersensitivity reaction to few medications, and that can be life-threatening rarely. Penicillin hypersensitivity is one example. Diarrhea, rashes are few other symptoms which need a watch. A patient with other co-existing diseases like liver disease, heart disease, kidney disease should take special precautions.
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Deterioration in renal function has been attributed to the concomitant use of Difena and triamterene and to the concomitant use of Difena and cyclosporin.
Difena has been associated with clinical exacerbation of porphyria and is considered unsafe in porphyric patients.
Use in pregnancy & lactation: In late pregnancy, Difena should, as with other NSAIDs, be avoided because it will cause premature arteriosus. The effect of Difena on labor and delivery in pregnant women are unknown. Because of the known effects of prostaglandin-inhibiting drugs on the fetal cardiovascular system (closure of ductus arteriosus), use of Difena during late pregnancy should be avoided and as with other NSAIDs, it is possible that Difena may inhibit uterine contractions and delay parturition.
Because of the potential of serious adverse reactions in nursing infants from Difena, a decision should be made whether to discontinue nursing or to discontinue the drug, taking into account the importance of the drug to the mother.
What happens if I miss a dose of Difena?
When you miss a dose, you should take it as soon as you remember, but you should take care that it should be well spaced from the next dose. You should not take an extra dose at the time of the second dose as it will become a double dose. The double dose can give unwanted side effects, so be careful. In chronic conditions or when you have a serious health issue, if you miss a dose, you should inform your health care provider and ask his suggestion.
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. Skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your next scheduled dose. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.
References
DailyMed. "DICLOFENAC EPOLAMINE: DailyMed provides trustworthy information about marketed drugs in the United States. DailyMed is the official provider of FDA label information (package inserts).". https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailyme... (accessed September 17, 2018).
