Zelnorm (Tegaserod Maleate) Drug Information: Description, User Reviews, Drug Side Effects, Interactions

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May 26, 2012

Zelnorm

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) »

What is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)?

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common ailments of the bowel (intestines) and affects an estimated 15% of people in the US. The term, irritable bowel, is not a particularly accurate one since it implies that the bowel is responding irritably to normal stimuli, and this may or may not be the case. The several terms used for IBS, including spastic colon, spastic colitis, and mucous colitis, attest to the difficulty of getting a descriptive handle on the ailment. Moreover, each of the other names is itself as problematic as the term IBS.

IBS is best described as a functional disease. The concept of functional disease is particularly useful when discussing diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The concept applies to the muscular organs of the gastrointestinal tract; the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, gallbladder, and colon. What is meant by the term, functional, is that either th...

Read the Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) article »

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Please Note: This Brand Name drug is no longer available in the US.
(Generic versions may still be available.)

Zelnorm®
(tegaserod maleate) Tablets

DRUG DESCRIPTION

Zelnorm® (tegaserod maleate) tablets contain tegaserod as the hydrogen maleate salt. As the maleate salt, tegaserod is chemically designated as 3-(5-methoxy-1H-indol-3-ylmethylene)-N-pentylcarbazimidamide hydrogen maleate. Its empirical formula is C₁₆H₂₃N₅O.C₄H₄O₄. The molecular weight is 417.47 and the structural formula is

Tegaserod as the maleate salt is a white to off-white crystalline powder and is slightly soluble in ethanol and very slightly soluble in water. Each 1.385 mg of tegaserod as the maleate is equivalent to 1 mg of tegaserod. Zelnorm (tegaserod maleate) is available for oral use in the following tablet formulations:

· 2 mg and 6 mg tablets (blister packs) containing 2 mg and 6 mg tegaserod, respectively and the following inactive ingredients: crospovidone, glyceryl monostearate, hypromellose, lactose monohydrate, poloxamer 188, and polyethylene glycol 4000

· 6 mg tablets (bottles) containing 6 mg tegaserod and the following inactive ingredients: crospovidone, glyceryl behenate, hypromellose, lactose monohydrate, colloidal silicon dioxide.

What are the possible side effects of tegaserod (Zelnorm)?

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Stop taking tegaserod and call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect such as: