Jul
26
Bicalutamide
July 26, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Generic Name
Bicalutamide (bye-kal-UTE-uh-mide)
Brand tjSMb Casodex
The information in this profile also applies to the following drug:
Generic Ingredient: Nilutamide Nilandron
Type of Drug Antiandrogen.
Prescribed For Prostate cancer.
General Information
Antiandrogens are prescribed together with another hormone product for prostate cancer. Bicalutamide competes with testosterone and other natural androgens (male hormones) by binding to the same places in body tissue where androgens normally bind. Prostate cancer is androgen sensitive and responds to treatments that counteract the effects of androgen or remove the sources of androgen.
Cautions and Warnings
Do not take this drug if you are allergic or sensitive to it or any of its ingredients.
People taking this medication may develop severe liver injury. People with liver disease may be at greater risk for serious side effects.
Almost 40% of men taking bicalutamide as single therapy for prostate cancer develop breast pain and enlargement. Bicalutamide may also reduce sperm count.
Two of every 100 people taking nilutamide develop interstitial pneumonitis (symptoms include cough, chest pain, fever, and breathing difficulties). People with lung disease and Asians may be at greater risk. Report any breathing difficulty or worsening of pre-existing breathing difficulty to your doctor immediately.
Isolated cases of aplastic anemia (a potentially fatal blood disorder) have been reported in people taking nilutamide, but the relationship between the drug and the disease is not established.
Possible Side Effects
♦ Most common’. hot dashes, hot flushes, general pain, headache, weakness, back pain, nausea, constipation, sleeplessness, breathing difficulties, and swollen breasts. Nilutamide–difficulty seeing in the dark and loss of testicle function.
V Common: diarrhea and pelvic pain.
Possible Side Effects (continued)
♦ Less common: vomiting, abdominal pains, chest pain, flu-like symptoms, high blood pressure, swelling in the ankles or lower legs, high blood sugar, weight loss, dizziness, tingling in the hands or feet, sweating, rash, nighttime urination, blood in the urine, urinary or other infection, loss of libido, impotence, breast pain, painful urination, anemia, and bone pain.
♦ Rare: Rare side effects can occur in almost any part of the body. Contact your doctor if you experience any side effect not listed above.
Drug Interactions
• Bicalutamide and nilutamide increase the effect of oral anticoagulant (blood-thinning) drugs such as warfarin. Dosage adjustment may be necessary.
• Nilutamide may increase the risk of the potentially serious side effects of phenytoin, theophylline, or vitamin K antagonists.
Food Interactions
None known. Usual Dose
Bicalutamide
Adult: 50 mg once a day, morning or night.
Nilutamide
Adult: 300 mg a day, reduced to 150 mg a day after 30 days.
Overdosage
Symptoms of overdose may include nausea, vomiting, tiredness, headache and dizziness. Overdose victims should be taken to a hospital emergency room. ALWAYS bring the presc6pktm bottle or container,
Special Information
Report anything unusual to your doctor, especially pain or tenderness in the upper right abdomen, yellowing of skin or whites of eyes, severe itching, dark urine, persistent appetite loss, and unexplained flu-like symptoms. These may be signs of severe liver toxicity. Also report any breathing difficulties, cough, chest pain,
orfever.
Up to half of people taking nilutamide can take from a few sec-
onds to a few minutes to adapt to darkness. This can be a problem especially when driving at night or through tunnels. Wearing tinted glasses will minimize this effect.
Up to 5% of people taking nilutamide may experience intolerance to alcohol. Symptoms include flushing, tiredness, and lightheadedness. If you experience this reaction, you should avoid alcohol.
Bicalutamide should be taken at the same time each day for best results. If you forget a dose of bicalutamide, take it as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the dose you forgot and continue with your regular schedule. Call your doctor if you forget to take more than 1 dose.
Special Populations
PregnancylBreast-feeding: Antiandrogens are not intended for use by women.
Seniors: Seniors may take this drug without special precaution.
Jul
26
Betaxolol
July 26, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Generic Name
Betaxolol (bay-TAX-0-101) IN
Brand Names
Betoptic Kerlone Betoptic S
The information in this profile also applies to the following drugs:
Generic Ingredient: Carteolol Ocupress
Generic Ingredient: Levobunolol 92
AK Beta Betagan
Generic Ingredient: Metipranolol Optipranolol
Type of Drug
Beta-adrenergic blocking agent. Prescribed For
High blood pressure and glaucoma.
General Information
betaxololhydrochloride is one of many beta-adrenergic blocking drugs, or beta blockers, which interfere with the action of a specific part of the nervous system. Beta receptors are found all over the body and affect many body functions. Each beta blocker has particular characteristics that make it more suitable for certain conditions or people. Beta-blocker eyedrops reduce ocular pressure (pressure inside the eye) by slowing the production of eye fluids and by slightly increasing the rate at which these fluids flow through and leave the eye. Small amounts of these drugs are absorbed into the general blood circulation after they are instilled in the eye and may affect areas of the body other than the eye.
Cautions and Warnings
Q(3 M *e betaxolol if you are allergic or sensitive to any of its ingredients. You should be cautious about taking betaxolol if you have asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, severe heart failure, a very slow heart rate, or heart block (disruption of the electrical impulses that control heart rate) because the drug may aggravate these conditions.
People with angina risk aggravating their angina if they suddenly stop taking the drug. These people should have their betablocker eyedrops dosage reduced gradually over 1-2 weeks.
Liver or kidney problems may reduce your ability to eliminate beta-blocker eyedrops from your body.
Beta-blocker eyedrops may mask the physical signs of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). People with diabetes who must take insulin or oral medications to lower blood sugar and those subject to hypoglycemia should use beta-blocker eyedrops with caution.
Beta-blocker eyedrops may reduce the amount of blood your heart pumps with each beat. This reduction in blood flow may aggravate the condition of people with poor circulation or circulatory disease.
If you are undergoing major surgery, your doctor may want you to stop using beta-blocker eyedrops at least 2 days before surgery.
Betaxolol eyedrops should be avoided by people who cannot take oral beta-blocking drugs such as propranolol.
People with a history of severe anaphylactic reaction to allergens may be unresponsive to usual doses of epinephrine while taking beta blockers.
Possible Side Effects
Side effects are relatively uncommon and usually mild.
✓ Common: discomfort in the eye.
✓ Less common: blurred vision, inflammation of the cornea, sensation of having something in the eye, sensitivity to light, tearing, itching, dry eye, redness, inflammation, discharge, eye pain, cloudy vision, and crusting of the lashes.
✓ Rare: unusual tiredness or weakness, slow heartbeat, heart failure, dizziness, breathing difficulties, bronchospasm, depression, rash, and hair loss. Contact your doctor if you experience any side effect not listed above.
I
OMg ITAGractions
Beta-blocker eyedrops may interact with surgical anesthetics to increase the risk of heart problems during surgery. Some anesthesiologists recommend gradually stopping the drug Combining beta-blocker eyedrops and oral beta blockers will increase the effects of each drug. These drugs should be combined cautiously.
• Cocaine may reduce the effectiveness of all beta-blocker eyedrops.
• Betaxolol will counteract thyroid hormone replacements.
• Calcium channel blockers, reserpine, phenothiazine compounds, and quinidine may increase the amount of betablocker eyedrops in the bloodstream and lead to low blood pressure and heart rate disturbances.
• Betaxolol should not be taken within 2 weeks of taking a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) antidepressant.
• Combining betaxolol with digitalis drugs can result in ex-
cessive slowing of the heart, possibly causing heart block.
• If you use other glaucoma eye medications, separate your doses to avoid physically combining them.
• Small amounts of beta-blocker eyedrops are absorbed into the bloodstream and may interact with other drugs in the same way as oral beta blockers, although this is unlikely.
• Beta blockers may block the effects of epinephrine.
• If you stop smoking while taking betaxolol, your dose may have to be reduced because your liver will break down the drug more slowly afterward.
Food Interactions
None known. Usual Dose
Adult
Glaucoma: 1-2 drops in the affected eye twice a day.
Hypertension: 10 mg tablet a day. May increase to 20 mg a day after 7-14 days. For seniors or people with severe kidney impairment, starting dose is 5 mg.
Child: not recommended. Overdosage
If Q\4tCqOSZ Occurs in the eye, flush it with water or saline. If accidentally ingested, symptoms of overdose of beta-blockers taken orally may occur. These include changes in heartbeat—unusually slow, unusually fast, or irregular—severe dizziness or fainting, breathing difficulties, bluish-colored fingernails or palms, low blood pressure, heart failure, shock, and seizures. If these symptoms occur, the victim should be taken to a hospital emergency room. ALWAYS bring the prescription bottle or container with you.
Special Information
Call your doctor at once if you develop back or joint pain, breathing difficulties, cold hands or feet, depression, rash, or changes in heartbeat. Beta-blocker eyedrops may produce an undesirable lowering of blood pressure, leading to dizziness or fainting; call your doctor if this happens to you. Also call your doctor if you experience persistent or bothersome anxiety, diarrhea, constipation, impotence, headache, itching, nausea or vomiting, nightmares or vivid dreams, upset stomach, trouble sleeping, stuffy nose, frequent urination, unusual tiredness, or weakness.
Do not use with your contact lenses in your eye. Do not touch the dropper to any surface.
If you forget a dose of beta-blocker eyedrops, administer it as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the dose you forgot and continue with your regular schedule. Do not take a double dose.
Special Populations
Pregnancy/Breast-feeding: In animal studies, betaxolol given orally at doses much higher than is absorbed through administration in the eye was associated with miscarriage. There is little information about the effects of betaxolol in pregnant women. Betaxolol should be used during pregnancy only if the benefit outweighs the risk.
Some beta blockers pass into breast milk. Nursing mothers taking beta-blocker eyedrops should use infant formula.
Seniors: Seniors may take betaxolol without special precautions.
Jul
26
Becaplermin
July 26, 2009 | Leave a Comment
If you forget a dose, apply it as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and continue with your regular schedule.
Special Populations
Pregnancy/Breast-feeding
The safety of using becaplermin during pregnancy is not known. The drug should only be used during pregnancy if it is absolutely necessary.
It is not known if becaplermin passes into breast milk. Nursing mothers who must take this drug should use infant formula.
Seniors
Seniors may take this drug without special precaution.Generic Name
Becaplermin (beh-CAP-ler-min)
Brand Name Regranex
Type of Drug Human growth factor.
Prescribed For
Diabetic foot and leg wounds.
General Information
Becaplermin is a type of human growth factor produced in a laboratory. While it is not a substitute for good wound care, becaplermin can stimulate wound tissue to heal taster. Studies of the drug have produced mixed results. In some studies, people using becaplermin were 111.–2 times more likely to have complete healing of their wounds. In another study, the results with becaplermin were the same as those with good wound care alone.
Cautions and Warnings
Do not use becaplermin if you are allergic or sensitive to any of its ingredients.
Becaplermin should not be used to speed the healing of wounds that are healing by themselves.
Becaplermin should not be applied to skin cancer or tumors or exposed bones, joints, tendons, or ligaments because its effect on these body structures is not known.
Becaplermin should not be used for wounds that do not extend to subcutaneous tissue or are caused by poor circulation.
Drug and Food Interactions None known.
Usual•Dose
Adult and Child (age 16 and over): Apply a thin layer to the wound and leave in place for 12 hours. Then, remove the becaplermin bandage, rinse the wound, and cover it with a plain saline-soaked bandage for the rest of the day. Continue this process until the wound has healed completely.
Child (under age 16): not recommended.
Overdosage
Little is known about the effects of accidental ingestion. Call your local poison control center or a hospital emergency room for information. If you seek treatment, ALWAYS bring the prescription container.
Special Information
Call your doctor if your wound worsens or is irritated by becaplermin.
Wash your hands bet43ve -applying becaplermin.
Do not allow the tip of the becaplermin tube to touch any surface, including the wound being treated.
Your doctor should reassess your treatment if the wound is not 30% smaller in 10 weeks and completely healed in 20 weeks.
Applying more becaplermin than recommended will not make your wound heal better or faster.
alone. plus wound care had a eveloping a rash than those who re-
e.
Possible Side Effects
People treated with becaplermin larger risk of developing wound care.