DIDANOSINE

(dye DAN oh seen) Brand: Videx, Videx EC

What is the most significant information I must know about didanosine?

• You must not use didanosine if you are allergic to it. Do not take didanosine together with allopurinol (Zyloprim) or ribavirin (Rebetol, Ribasphere, Copegus, Virazole).

• Some people develop lactic acidosis while taking didanosine. Early symptoms may get worse over time and this condition can be fatal. Get abnormal medical help if you have even mild symptoms such as: muscle pain or weakness, numb or cool feeling in your arms and legs, trouble breathing, stomach pain, nausea with vomiting, quick or uneven heart course, dizziness, or feeling very weak or weary.

• Didanosine can also reason severe or life-threatening effects on your liver or pancreas. Call your doctor at once if you have any of these symptoms while taking didanosine: severe pain in your upper stomach spreading to your back, nausea and vomiting, quick heart course, itching, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, or jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes).

• Do not take didanosine without telling your doctor if you are pregnant. Lactic acidosis or liver problems caused by didanosine can be very dangerous during pregnancy.

• Speak your doctor about all another medicines you use.

What is didanosine?

• Didanosine is an antiviral medicine that prevents human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cells from multiplying in your body.

• Didanosine is used to treat HIV, which causes the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Didanosine is not a cure for HIV or AIDS.

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

What must I discuss with my healthcare provider till taking didanosine?

• You must not use didanosine if you are allergic to it. Do not take didanosine together with allopurinol (Zyloprim) or ribavirin (Rebetol, Ribasphere, Copegus, Virazole).

• Some people develop a life-threatening condition called lactic acidosis while taking didanosine. You may be more likely to develop lactic acidosis if you are overweight or have liver malady, if you are a woman, or if you have taken HIV or AIDS medications for a long time. Conversation with your doctor about your individual risk.

• Didanosine can also reason severe or life-threatening effects on your liver or pancreas. Speak your doctor if you have liver malady or a history of pancreatitis.

• To create certain you can safely take didanosine, speak your doctor if you have any of these another conditions:

· liver disease;

· kidney malady (or if you are on dialysis);

· a history of numbness or tingling in your hands or foots, including Raynaud's syndrome; or

· a history of pancreatitis;

· if you also take stavudine (Zerit).

• Do not take didanosine without telling your doctor if you are pregnant. Lactic acidosis or liver problems caused by didanosine can be very dangerous during pregnancy.

• If you are pregnant, your name may be listed on a pregnancy registry. This is to track the outcome of the pregnancy and to estimate any effects of didanosine on the baby.

• Women with HIV or AIDS must not breast feed a child. Even if your child is born without HIV, the virus may be passed to the child in your breast milk.

How must I take didanosine?

• Take exactly as predesigned by your doctor. Do not take in larger or less amounts or for longer than recommended. Follow the directions on your prescription label.

• Take didanosine on an empty stomach, at least 1 hour till or 2 hours after a meal. Do not take with food.

• Do not crush, chew, interrupt, or open a delayed-release capsule. Swallow it intact. Breaking or opening the pill may reason too many of the drug to be released at one time.

• Shake the oral suspension (liquid) well just till you measure a doze. Measure the liquid with a particular dose-measuring spoon or medication cup, not with a regular table spoon. If you do not have a dose-measuring device, ask your pharmacist for one.

• HIV/AIDS is generally treated with a combination of various drugs. Determined HIV medications or antibiotics must not be taken at the same time as didanosine because they can affect the levels of this medication in your blood stream:

· ciprofloxacin (Cipro) must be taken at least 2 hours till or 6 hours after you take didanosine.

· delavirdine (Rescriptor) or indinavir (Crixivan) must be taken at least 1 hour till you take didanosine.

· nelfinavir (Viracept) must be taken at least 1 hour after you take didanosine.

· itraconazole (Sporanox) or ketoconazole (Nizoral) must be taken at least 2 hours till you take didanosine.

• Use all medications as directed by your doctor. Read the medicine manual or patient instructions provided with every medicine. Do not change your doses or medicine schedule without your doctor's advice. Each face with HIV or AIDS must stay under the care of a doctor.

• To be certain this medicine is not causing deleterious effects, your blood may need to be tested often. Your vision, kidney function, and liver function may also need to be tested. Do not miss any follow up visits to your doctor for blood or urine tests.

• Store the tablets or capsules at room temperature in a tightly closed container, away from moisture and heat.

• Store the liquid form of didanosine in the refrigerator. Throw away any leftover didanosine liquid that is more than 30 days old.

What happens if I miss a dose?

• Take the missed doze as soon as you remember. Skip the missed doze if it is nearly time for your following scheduled doze. Do not take 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.

• Overdose symptoms may include some of the serious side effects listed in this medicine guide.

What must I avoid while taking didanosine?

• Do not drink alcohol. It may magnify your risk of liver hurt or pancreatitis.

• Avoid using antacids without your doctor's advice while taking didanosine. Use only the specific type of antacid your doctor recommends.

• Taking this medicine will not prevent you from passing HIV to another people. Do not have unprotected sex or share razors or toothbrushes. Conversation with your doctor about safety ways to prevent HIV transmission during sex. Sharing drug or medication needles is never safety, even for a healthy person.

What are the possible side effects of didanosine?

• 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.

• Didanosine may reason lactic acidosis (a build-up of lactic acid in the body, which can be fatal). Lactic acidosis can start slowly and get worse over time. Get abnormal medical help if you have even mild symptoms of lactic acidosis, such as:

· muscle pain or weakness;

· numb or cool feeling in your arms and legs;

· trouble breathing;

· feeling dizzy, light-headed, weary, or very weak;

· stomach pain, nausea with vomiting; or

· quick or uneven heart rate.

• Stop using didanosine and call your doctor at once if you have any of these another serious side effects:

· signs of a new infection such as flu symptoms, light bruising or unusual bleeding, loss of appetite, mouth sores;

· severe pain in your upper stomach spreading to your back, nausea and vomiting;

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

· swelling near your stomach, feeling of fullness, feeling short of breath, coughing up blood;

· numbness, tingling, or pain in your hands or feet;

· pain in one or both eyes, vision problems, seeing flashes of light;

· pale skin, light bruising or bleeding, feeling light-headed, rapid heart course, trouble concentrating;

· heighten sweating, tremors in your hands, anxiety, feeling irritable, sleep problems (insomnia);

· diarrhea, unexplained weight loss, menstrual changes, impotence, loss of interest in sex;

· swelling in your neck or throat (enlarged thyroid);

· weakness or prickly feeling in your fingers or toes;

· problems with walking, breathing, speech, swallowing, or eye movement; or

· severe lower back pain, loss of bladder or bowel control.

• Smaller serious side effects may include:

· mild skin rash;

· diarrhea;

· headache; or

· changes in the shape or location of body thick (especially in your arms, legs, person, neck, breasts, and waist).

• 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 didanosine?

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

· ganciclovir (Cytovene);

· hydroxyurea (Droxia, Hydrea);

· methadone (Diskets, Dolophine, Methadose); or

· tenofovir (Viread, Atripla, Complera, Truvada).

• This list is not complete and another drugs may interact with didanosine. 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 didanosine.

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.