Patient/caregiver was educated on precautions to be exercised while taking primidone as follows:
- Primidone can interact with a lot of other medications, thus influencing their function. If you are being newly started on primidone, discuss with your physician regarding all your current medications and their safety with primidone. Also, notify your physician regarding any current primidone intake, if you are being started on any new medications and discuss their safety with primidone.
- Primidone use also results in the induction of some enzymes, which leads to increased metabolism of various other drugs, such as, anticoagulants, antidepressants, and many cardiovascular medications. Increased metabolism of these drugs by enzymes will quickly reduce the blood levels of these medications and compromise their therapeutic benefit. Discuss with your physician regarding all your medications and the potential for their compromised therapeutic benefit with primidone, to facilitate any appropriate dose changes be made.
- Do not take primidone with alcohol or opioid pain medications, such as, hydrocodone and codeine, as these products can add to the dizziness, confusion, and respiratory depression caused by primidone. A number of OTC cough medications, antihistamines, and antianxiety medications, also share these side-effects of primidone. Administered concomitantly, their added effects can be fatal and so, must be avoided taken together.
