How Effective is Onfi?
This is a benzodiazepine. Onfi affects unbalanced chemicals in your brain when you have anxiety. The medicine is used together with other relevant medications to treat seizures that result from Lennox-Gastaunt syndrome, which is a very serious form of childhood epilepsy that is also known to cause behavior and development problems.
Anyone who is allergic to Onfi should not use Onfi. While on this medication, you may start having suicidal thoughts. You should visit your doctor regularly for regular check-ups.
Any new or worsening symptoms must be reported to the doctor immediately. Such symptoms may include trouble sleeping, feeling more depressed and having suicidal thoughts, mood or behavior changes, panic attacks, anxiety and feeling irritable impulsive, hostile, agitated, restless, aggressive, or hyperactive (physically or mentally).
To make sure it is safe for you to take this medicine, inform your doctor in case you have:
- Breathing problems or any type of lung disease;
- Kidney or liver disease;
- Any history of alcohol or drug addiction;
- A history of suicidal behavior or thoughts, or depression or
- If you are using a narcotic (opioid) medication.
Having suicidal thoughts is common in some young people especially if they start taking Onfi for the first time. When on this medication, your doctor will have to check your progress regularly. Your caregivers or family members should be alert to any symptoms or changes in your mood.
It has not been established whether this medicine can cause harm to an unborn baby. It may cause low body temperatures, feeding problems, and breathing problems in a newborn. Onfi can also make your baby dependent on it. This can cause severe withdrawal symptoms in a newborn baby. A baby born dependent on this drug or any other habit-forming medicine may require medical treatment for a number of weeks. Be sure to inform your doctor if you plan to get pregnant, or if you are already pregnant. You should use any effective birth control so that you don’t become pregnant while you are using this medicine.
- This medicine may be habit forming. Therefore, you should never share it with anyone else. Be sure to keep Onfi in a secret place where no one else can find it.
- This medicine can reduce the effectiveness of birth control pills. You can ask your doctor if you can use a condom, spermicide, or diaphragm, or any other non-hormone method of preventing pregnancy.
- Onfi can easily pass into the breast milk. It can harm a newborn baby. You must not breast-feed while on this medicine.
- Onfi is not safe for children under the age of 2 years.
Onfi has a sedative effect that might last longer than usual in older adults. Senior patients who take benzodiazepines may experience accidental falls. Exercise caution to avoid falling when you are on this medicine.
How Should You Take Onfi?
You should take Onfi exactly as per the doctor’s prescription. The directions on the prescription label should direct you. Your doctor may sometimes decide to change your dose to ensure that you are getting the best results. You should never take Onfi for longer, or in smaller or larger quantity than recommended.
Swallow Onfi tablet without chewing. You may crush the tablet and mix it with applesauce to make it easier to swallow. Before measuring your dose, shake the liquid well. Use a medicine cup or a special dose-measuring spoon to measure the liquid.
Do not stop using this medicine abruptly even if you are already feeling fine. Otherwise, you might experience unpleasant withdrawal symptoms or increased seizure.
To get its most benefit, use Onfi regularly. You should not run out of Onfi completely. Instead, ensure your prescription is refilled earlier. If you seizures continue to get worse, contact your doctor right away.
Store Onfi at room temperature, and it must be away from heat and moisture.
Onfi is a drug that someone can abuse. Keep truck of the exact amount you have used from every new bottle, and you should notice immediately if anyone tries to use your Onfi improperly.
What to Avoid?
Onfi may impair your reactions or thinking. Be careful whenever you are doing something that requires your full attention such as driving.
Do not take alcohol when taking Onfi. Otherwise, severe side effects could occur.
What are the Side Effects of Onfi?
Seek emergency medical help if you notice any sign of an allergic reaction such as difficult breathing, hives, or swelling of your throat, tongue, face, or lips.
Contact your doctor and report any worsening or new symptoms such as behavior or mood changes, trouble sleeping, panic attacks, anxiety, or if you feel irritable, impulsive, agitated, restless. Aggressive, hostile, hyperactive (physically or mentally), or when you are feeling more depressed, or having suicidal thoughts and feeling like you want to hurt yourself.
This medicine may also cause a life-threatening skin reaction, especially in the first two months of taking it. However, this is very rare. If you realize that you are having mouth sores, hives, or skin rash that is spreading rapidly and causing peeling and blistering, you should contact your doctor at once.
Call your doctor right away if you have the below severe side effects:
Burning or pain when urinating;
Life-threatening skin reaction – sore throat, fever, skin pain, burning in the eyes, swelling in your tongue or face, skin rash that spreads particularly in your upper body like your face, and causes peeling and blistering;
- Not urinating, or urinating less than normal;
- Hallucinations, confusion;
- Chills, fever, cough with green or yellow mucus, and feeling short of breath;
- Shallow or weak breathing; or
- A light-headed feeling, as if you are about to pass out.
The most common side effects of this medicine may include:
- Dry cough;
- Drowsiness;
- Constipation;
- Sleep problems (insomnia); or
- Drooling, slurred speech.