DICLOFENAC TOPICAL

(dye KLOE fen ak TOP ik al) Brand: Pennsaid, Solaraze, Voltaren Topical

What is the most significant information I must know about diclofenac topical?

• Do not use this medicine if you have ever had asthma or a severe allergic reaction caused by aspirin, diclofenac (Cataflam, Voltaren), or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Do not use diclofenac just till or after having heart bypass surgery (also called coronary artery bypass graft, or CABG).

• Till using this medicine, speak your doctor if you have heart malady, congestive heart failure, tall blood pressure, a history of heart onslaught or stroke, a history of stomach ulcer or bleeding, liver or kidney malady, a blood clotting mess, asthma, or nasal polyps.

• While the risk of absorbing diclofenac topical into your bloodstream is low, an NSAID may reason life-threatening heart or circulation problems such as heart onslaught or stroke, especially if you use it long term.

• Get abnormal medical help if you have chest pain, weakness, shortness of breath, slurred speech, or problems with vision or balance.

• This medication may also reason serious effects on the stomach or intestines, including bleeding or perforation (forming of a hole). These conditions can be fatal and can occur without warning while you are using diclofenac topical, especially in older adults.

• Call your doctor at once if you have symptoms of stomach bleeding such as black, bloody, or tarry stools, or coughing up blood or vomit that looks like coffee grounds.

What is diclofenac topical?

• Diclofenac is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). It works by reducing hormones that reason inflammation and pain in the body.

• Diclofenac topical 1% gel (Voltaren Topical) is used to treat joint pain in the hands, wrists, elbows, knees, ankles, or foots caused by osteoarthritis. This medicine may not be effective in treating arthritis pain elsewhere in the body.

• Diclofenac topical 1.5% solution (Pennsaid) is used to treat pain in the knees caused by osteoarthritis. This medicine may not be effective in treating arthritis pain elsewhere in the body.

• Diclofenac topical 3% gel (Solaraze) is used to treat warty overgrowths of skin (actinic keratoses) on sun-exposed areas of the body.

• Diclofenac topical may also be used for purposes not listed in this medicine guide.

What must I discuss with my healthcare provider till using diclofenac topical?

• While the risk of absorbing diclofenac topical into your bloodstream is low, an NSAID can reason life-threatening heart or circulation problems such as heart onslaught or stroke, especially if you use it long term.

• Do not use this medicine if you have ever had asthma or a severe allergic reaction caused by aspirin, diclofenac (Cataflam, Voltaren), or other NSAID. Do not use diclofenac just till or after having heart bypass surgery (also called coronary artery bypass graft, or CABG).

• To create certain you can safely use diclofenac topical, speak your doctor if you have any of these another conditions:

· a history of drug allergies;

· a history of heart onslaught, stroke, or blood clot;

· heart malady, congestive heart failure, tall blood pressure;

· a history of stomach ulcer or bleeding;

· liver or kidney disease;

· a bleeding or blood clotting mess; or

· asthma, or polyps in your nose.

• This medicine may be deleterious to an unborn child. If you are pregnant, ask your doctor if it is safety for you to use diclofenac topical. Speak your doctor if you become pregnant during treatment.

• Diclofenac topical can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing child. You must not breast-feed while using diclofenac topical.

How must I use diclofenac topical?

• Use exactly as predesigned by your doctor. Do not use in larger or less amounts or for longer than recommended. Follow the directions on your prescription label. When treating osteoarthritis, hold using any oral medications your doctor has prescribed.

• Do not use diclofenac topical on an open skin wound, or on areas of eczema, infection, skin rash, or burn injury. Do not cover the treated skin with a bandage or expose it to heat from a hot tub, heating pad, sauna, or heated water bed. Heat or bandaging can magnify the amount of drug you absorb through your skin and may reason deleterious effects.

• Wash your hands after applying this medicine, unless you are treating the skin on your hands. Do not wear gloves for at least 10 minutes after applying diclofenac topical to the hands.

• After you apply diclofenac topical gel, wait at least 10 minutes till dressing and at least 1 hour till you bathe or shower.

• To treat actinic keratosis (with Solaraze): Apply satis gel to cover every lesion and rub in gently. Do not apply Solaraze gel more than 2 times daily and never use more than your predesigned doze.

• To treat osteoarthritis knee pain (with Pennsaid): Apply the solution only to clean, dry skin. Seat 10 drops at a time into your arm and spread the solution over the front, back, and sides of the knee. Apply a total of 40 drops to every affected knee, 4 times for day. You may also drop the medication directly onto the knee, spreading after each 10 drops.

• Wait before the solution is completely dry till covering treated skin with clothing or applying any another skin commodity, including sunscreen.

• To treat osteoarthritis pain (with Voltaren Topical): This medication is supplied with dosing cards that show you how many gel to use for a 2-gram doze or a 4-gram doze. Squeeze the gel onto this card along the line for your doze. Use no more gel than will fit on the length of your dosing line. Wipe the card directly onto the treatment area and rub gently into the skin.

• To treat arthritis pain in the foot, spread the gel out onto all areas of the foot including the toes and soles. When treating the arm, spread the gel out onto all areas of the arm including the fingers and palms.

• Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat. Do not freeze.

What happens if I miss a dose?

• Use the missed doze as soon as you remember. Skip the missed doze if it is nearly time for your following scheduled doze. Do not use extra medication to create up the missed dose.

What happens if I overdose?

• Search abnormal medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222.

What must I avoid while using diclofenac topical?

• Avoid drinking alcohol. It may magnify your risk of stomach bleeding.

• Do not use cosmetics, sunscreen, lotions, insect repellant, or another medicated skin commodity on the same area you treat with diclofenac topical.

• Avoid getting this medicine in your mouth, nose, or eyes. If this does happen, rinse with water.

• Avoid exposure to sunlight or artificial UV rays (sunlamps or tanning beds) while you are using diclofenac topical.

• Avoid taking aspirin, oral (pill form) diclofenac (Cataflam, Voltaren), or another NSAIDs without your doctor's advice. This includes ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), indomethacin, piroxicam (Feldene), nabumetone (Relafen), etodolac (Lodine), and others.

• Ask a doctor or pharmacist till using any cool, allergy, or pain medication. Aspirin and another medicines similar to diclofenac are contained in much combination medicines. Taking determined commodity together can reason you to get too many of a determined drug. Check the label to see if a medication contains aspirin, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, or naproxen.

What are the possible side effects of diclofenac topical?

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

• Although the risk of serious side effects is low when diclofenac is applied to the skin, you must be aware of side effects that can occur if the medicine is absorbed into your bloodstream.

• Stop using this medication and call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect such as:

· chest pain, slurred speech, problems with vision or balance, and feeling weak or short of breath;

· bloody or tarry stools, coughing up blood or vomit that looks like coffee grounds;

· pale or yellowed skin, dark colored urine, confusion;

· swelling or rapid weight gain, urinating smaller than normal or not at all;

· nausea, upper stomach pain, itching, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes);

· bruising, severe tingling, numbness, pain, muscle weakness;

· fever, sore throat, and headache with a severe blistering, peeling, and red skin rash; or

· the first sign of any skin rash, no matter how mild.

• Smaller serious side effects may include:

· mild nausea, stomach pain, upset stomach;

· diarrhea, gas; or

· mild itching, dryness, redness, scaling, or another skin irritation where the medication was applied.

• This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may message side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

What another drugs will affect diclofenac topical?

• Speak your doctor about all another medicines you use, especially:

· a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven);

· cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune);

· lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid);

· methotrexate (Rheumatrex, Trexall);

· a diuretic (water pill);

· steroids (prednisone and others); or

· heart or blood pressure medicine such as benazepril (Lotensin), enalapril (Vasotec), lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril), quinapril (Accupril), ramipril (Altace), and others.

• It is not likely that another drugs you take orally or inject will have an effect on topically applied diclofenac. But much drugs can interact with every another. Speak your doctor about all medications you use. This includes prescription, over-the-counter, vitamin, and herbal commodity. Do not start a new medicine without telling your doctor.

Where can I get more information?

• Your pharmacist can provide more information about diclofenac topical.

Remember, hold this and all another medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medicine only for the indication prescribed.

Disclaim: Each effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses external of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way must be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safety, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the help of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

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