Folic Acid belongs to the vitamin B group. Folic Acid tablets may be used:

To treat:

• folate deficiency anaemia caused by poor diet, poor absorption of food (such as in coeliac disease or a digestive disorder called sprue) or increased use of folate in the body (as in pregnancy).

To prevent:

• folate deficiency caused by some medicines (e.g. those used to treat epilepsy such as phenytoin, phenobarbital and primidone)
• folate deficiency caused by long-term red blood cell damage or kidney dialysis
• neural tube defects in babies (e.g. spina bifida), where women are at risk of having an affected child.

Do not take Folic Acid tablets and tell your doctor if you have:

• an allergy (hypersensitivity) to folic acid or any of the other ingredients in the tablets
• an untreated vitamin B12 deficiency such as in certain anaemias and lifelong vegetarians
• pernicious anaemia (a form of anaemia caused by lack of vitamin B12 ) or another condition caused by vitamin B12 deficiency
• a malignant (cancerous) disease.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Folic Acid tablets if you:

• have a folate dependent tumour
• are pregnant
• have any disease that reduces the amount of vitamin B₁₂ in the body.

Please tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking or have recently taken any other

medicines, including medicines obtained without a prescription. Especially:

• antiepileptics (to treat epilepsy) such as phenytoin, phenobarbital, primidone
• antibacterials (to treat infections) such as chloramphenicol and cotrimoxazole
• sulfasalazine (to treat ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease or rheumatoid arthritis)
• methotrexate (to treat Crohn’s disease, psoriasis or rheumatoid arthritis)

If you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant or are breast feeding, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking any medicine.

If you have been told by your doctor that you have an intolerance to some sugars, contact your doctor before taking this medicinal product, as it contains lactose.

Always take Folic Acid tablets exactly as your doctor has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.

Swallow the tablets with water.

Doses:

Adults (including the elderly):

• To treat folate deficiency anaemia:

5mg (5 tablets each 1 mg) a day for 4 months, which may be increased up to a maximum of 15mg a day.

• To prevent folate deficiency caused by some medicines:

5mg (5 tablets each 1 mg)  a day for 4 months, which may be increased up to a maximum of 15mg a day.

• To prevent folate deficiency caused by long-term red blood cell damage or kidney dialysis:

5mg (5 tablets each 1 mg)  every 1-7 days.

• To prevent neural tube defects in babies, where women are at risk of having an affected child:

5mg (5 tablets each 1 mg)  a day started before conception and continued throughout the first three months.

• To treat folate deficiency during pregnancy:

5mg (5 tablets each 1 mg)  a day continued to birth.

Use in children and adolescents:

For young children a more suitable form of the medicine should be used.

• To treat folate deficiency anaemia:

Children 1-18 years old: 5mg (5 tablets each 1 mg)  a day for 4 months. The maintenance dose is 5mg every 1-7 days.

• To treat haemolytic anaemia and metabolic disorders: Children 1-12 years old: 2.5mg-5mg once a day (2.5-5 tablets each 1 mg).

Children 12-18 years old: 5-10mg once a day (5-10 tablets each 1 mg).

• To prevent folate deficiency in kidney dialysis:

Children 1-12 years old: 250 micrograms per kg of body weight (up to a maximum of 10mg) (maximum 10 tablets each 1 mg) once a day.

Children 12-18 years old: 5-10mg (5-10 tablets each 1 mg) once a day.

If you take more than you should

If you (or someone else) swallow a lot of the tablets at the same time, or you think a child may have swallowed any, contact your nearest hospital casualty department or tell your doctor immediately.

If you forget to take the tablets

If you forget to take a dose take it as soon as you remember it and then take the next dose at the right time. Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose.

Like all medicines, Folic Acid tablets can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.

Tell your doctor if you notice any of the following side effects, they get worse or you notice any not listed:

Rare (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people)

• Allergic reaction (hypersensitivity) e.g. itchy/red skin, rash.
• Severe allergic reaction (anaphylactic reaction) – swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat or difficulty breathing or swallowing, shock (cold sweaty skin, weak pulse, dry mouth, dilated pupils).
• Stomach and intestines: loss of appetite, feeling sick, a bloated feeling, wind.

Store at a temperature 15-25°C, out of the reach of children. Protect from moisture and light.

Shelf life – 3 years. Do not take after the expiry date on the packaging. The expiry date refers to the last day of the month.

Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.

What Folic Acid Tablets contain

One tablet contains:

active substance – folic acid 1.0 mg;

other ingredients – microcrystalline cellulose, lactose monohydrate, ethyl cellulose, sodium starch glycolate, magnesium stearate.

Yellow scored on one side and beveled on both sides cylindrical tablets with a few small darker spots, the end surface of which are flat.

2 blisters (1 blister packet with 24 tablets) (48 tablets) with leaflet in the cardboard box.

Prescription drug.