Patient/caregiver was educated on precautions to be exercised while taking orphenadrine as follows
- Orphenadrine could potentially interact with a lot of other medications and precipitate serious reactions. If you are being newly started on orphenadrine, discuss with your physician regarding all your current medications and their safety with orphenadrine. Also, notify your physician regarding any current orphenadrine intake, if you are being started on any new medications and discuss their safety with orphenadrine.
- Your physician could change the dose of orphenadrine, based on the response you show, relief obtained, and side-effects presented with. So, maintain compliance with follow-up physician appointments and be accommodative to the plan of dose changes, until you show an optimum response.
- Notify your doctor of any unresolving muscle spasms, progressively worsening muscle pain and discomfort, compromised range of motion in the involved muscle groups, and any continuing or worsening unpleasant side-effects, so that, your dosage on the medication could be revised.
- Orphenadrine use can also result in fast and pounding heartbeat. Individuals with history of cardiac arrhythmias can be at increased risk for precipitation of arrhythmic episodes with orphenadrine use and must be increasingly watchful to report worsening symptoms of arrhythmias, such as, chest pain, low blood pressure, confusion, dizziness, increasing shortness of breath, and worsening fatigue. Hypotension and irregular heartbeat, secondary to orphenadrine intake, can contribute to the confusion and dizziness, thus significantly increasing the risk for fall and accidents. Orphenadrine could be avoided for a safer alternative or used with extra caution in individuals with history of life-threatening arrhythmias.
