This medicine may be taken with food or a full glass (8 ounces) of water or milk to reduce stomach irritation.

For patients taking the oral solution:

• Measure the solution only with the dropper provided by the manufacturer. This will give a more accurate dose.

The liquid medicine must be mixed with orange juice or grapefruit juice just before you take it to make it easier to take.

Do not take more of this medicine, do not take it more often, and do not take it for a longer time than your doctor ordered. To do so may increase the chance of unwanted effects.

Dosing

The dose of loxapine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of loxapine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

The number of capsules or tablets or amount of solution that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are taking loxapine.

• For oral dosage forms (capsules, oral solution, or tablets):
  • Adults: To start, 10 milligrams taken two times a day. Your doctor may increase your dose if needed.
  • Children up to 16 years of age: The dose must be determined by the doctor.
• For injection dosage form:
  • Adults: 12.5 to 50 milligrams every four to six hours, injected into a muscle.
  • Children up to 16 years of age: The dose must be determined by the doctor.

Missed dose

If you miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as possible. However, if it is within one hour of your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses.

Storage

To store this medicine:

• Keep out of the reach of children.
• Store away from heat and direct light.
• Do not store the capsule or tablet form of this medicine in the bathroom, near the kitchen sink, or in other damp places. Heat or moisture may cause the medicine to break down.
• Keep the liquid form of this medicine from freezing.
• Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed. Be sure that any discarded medicine is out of the reach of children.

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For loxapine, the following should be considered:

Allergies Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to loxapine or amoxapine. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy Loxapine has not been shown to cause birth defects or other problems in humans. However, animal studies have shown unwanted effects in the fetus.

Breast-feeding It is not known if loxapine passes into breast milk.

Children Studies on this medicine have been done only in adult patients, and there is no specific information comparing use of loxapine in children with use in other age groups.

Older adults Elderly patients are usually more sensitive than younger adults to the effects of loxapine. Constipation, dizziness or fainting, drowsiness, dry mouth, trembling of the hands and fingers, and symptoms of tardive dyskinesia (such as rapid, worm-like movements of the tongue or any other uncontrolled movements of the mouth, tongue, or jaw, and/or arms and legs) are especially likely to occur in elderly patients.

Other medicines Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases 2 different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking loxapine, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:

• Amoxapine (e.g., Asendin) or
• Methyldopa (e.g., Aldomet) or
• Metoclopramide (e.g., Reglan) or
• Metyrosine (e.g., Demser) or
• Other antipsychotics (medicine for mental illness) or
• Pemoline (e.g., Cylert) or
• Pimozide (e.g., Orap) or
• Promethazine (e.g., Phenergan) or
• Rauwolfia alkaloids (alseroxylon [e.g., Rauwiloid], deserpidine [e.g., Harmonyl], rauwolfia serpentina [e.g., Raudixin], reserpine [e.g., Serpasil]) or
• Trimeprazine (e.g., Temaril) Taking these medicines with loxapine may increase the chance and seriousness of some side effects

• Central nervous system (CNS) depressants (medicine that causes drowsiness) or
• Tricyclic antidepressants (medicine for depression) Taking these medicines with loxapine may increase the CNS depressant effects

• Guanadrel (e.g., Hylorel) or
• Guanethidine (e.g., Ismelin) Loxapine may decrease the effects of these medicines

• Alcohol abuse CNS depressant effects may be increased

• Difficult urination or
• Enlarged prostate or
• Glaucoma (or predisposition to) or
• Parkinson's disease Loxapine may make the condition worse

• Heart or blood vessel disease An increased risk of low blood pressure (hypotension) or changes in the rhythm of your heart may occur

• Liver disease Higher blood levels of loxapine may occur, increasing the chance of side effects

• Seizure disorders Loxapine may increase the risk of seizures