ABSTRACT
Riluzole pharmacotherapy can prolong survival time and forestall the need for tracheotomy among patients who have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Concurrent alcohol use may increase the associated risk of serious hepatotoxicity among patients who are receiving riluzole pharmacotherapy. Advise patients to avoid, or limit, their use of alcohol while receiving riluzole pharmacotherapy. Concurrent tobacco smoking may increase the metabolism of riluzole by inducing CYP-1A2. Higher dosages of riluzole may be required for patients who smoke one or more packages of tobacco cigarettes daily. Riluzole pharmacotherapy commonly has been associated with: abdominal pain, asthenia, circumoral paresthesia, diarrhea, dizziness, loss of appetite, nausea, pneumonia, reduced lung function, somnolence, and vomiting. Clinical data concerning riluzole overdosage are not available. In the absence of such data, riluzole overdosage should be treated as a medical emergency requiring symptomatic medical support of body systems with attention to increasing riluzole elimination.
