MYCOPHENOLIC ACID
(MYE koe phe NOLE ik AS id) Brand: Myfortic
What is the most significant information I must know about mycophenolic acid?
• Do not use mycophenolic acid if you are pregnant. It could harm the unborn child. You will be required to use two forms of birth control to prevent pregnancy till and during your treatment with mycophenolic acid.
• Mycophenolic acid is sometimes given to pregnant women who are unable to take another needed transplant medications. Your doctor will solve whether you must receive this medication.
• Treatment with mycophenolic acid may magnify your risk of developing determined life-threatening conditions, including serious infections, cancer, or transplant failure. Conversation with your doctor about the risks and benefits of using this medicine.
• Call your doctor right away if you have signs of infection such as: fever, swollen glands, flu symptoms, change in your mental state, problems with speech or walking, decreased vision, mouth sores, light bruising or bleeding, pain or burning when you urinate, blood in your urine, a new skin lesion, or a mole that has changed in size or color.
What is mycophenolic acid?
• Mycophenolic acid lowers your body's immune system. The immune system helps your body fight infections. The immune system can also fight or "reject" a transplanted organ such as a liver or kidney. This is because the immune system treats the new organ as an invader.
• Mycophenolic acid is used to prevent your body from rejecting a kidney transplant. This medicine is generally given with cyclosporine (Sandimmune, Neoral) and a steroid medication.
• Mycophenolic acid may also be used for purposes not listed in this medicine guide.
What must I discuss with my healthcare provider till taking mycophenolic acid?
• You must not use this medicine if you are allergic to mycophenolic acid or mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept).
• Taking mycophenolic acid can create it easier for you to develop serious bacterial, fungal, or viral infections, including tuberculosis, a severe brain infection, or a virus that can reason failure of a transplanted kidney.
• Mycophenolic acid may reason your body to manufacture too many of a determined type of white blood cells. This can lead to serious and sometimes fatal conditions, including cancer.
• Mycophenolic acid may also reason a serious viral infection of the brain that can lead to disability or death. Call your doctor right away if you have any change in your mental state, problems with speech or walking, or decreased vision. These symptoms may start gradually and get worse quickly.
• Talk with your doctor about the risks and benefits of using this medication.
• To create certain you can safely take mycophenolic acid, speak your doctor if you have any of these another conditions:
· a stomach ulcer or another disorders of your stomach or intestines;
· a viral, bacterial, or fungal infection; or
· a rare hereditary deficiency of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl-transferase (HGPRT) such as Lesch-Nyhan and Kelley-Seegmiller syndrome.
• FDA pregnancy category D. This medicine can reason harm to an unborn child, especially if used during the first trimester of pregnancy. Do not use mycophenolic acid without telling your doctor if you are pregnant or if you plan to become pregnant during treatment.
• Although mycophenolic acid may harm an unborn child, not treating the mother after a transplant could pose a greater risk to the mother's health. Mycophenolic acid is sometimes given to pregnant women who are unable to take another needed transplant medications. Your doctor will solve whether you must receive this medication.
• If you are a woman of child-bearing potential, you will be required to start using two forms of birth control 4 weeks till the start of your treatment with mycophenolic acid. You will also need to have a negative pregnancy test within 1 week till your treatment begins.
• Unless you have been in menopause for at least 12 months in a row, you are considered to be of child-bearing potential. Adolescent girls who have entered puberty are also considered to be of child-bearing potential, even if not yet sexually active.
• Use two non-hormone forms of birth control (such as a condom, diaphragm, spermicide) to prevent pregnancy till and during your treatment with mycophenolic acid, and for at least 6 weeks after your treatment ends. Speak your doctor right away if you become pregnant.
• Mycophenolic acid can create birth control pills smaller effective. Ask your doctor about the most effective non-hormonal forms of birth control and which two are excellent for you.
• It is not known whether mycophenolic acid passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing child. Do not breast-feed a baby while taking mycophenolic acid and for at least 6 weeks after your treatment ends.
How must I use mycophenolic acid?
• Take exactly as predesigned by your doctor. Do not take in larger or less amounts or for longer than recommended. Mycophenolic acid is generally given twice a day. Follow the directions on your prescription label.
• Take mycophenolic acid on an empty stomach, at least 1 hour till or 2 hours after a meal.
• Do not crush, chew, or interrupt an enteric-coated pill. Swallow it intact. The enteric-coated pill has a particular coating to protect your stomach. Breaking the pill will hurt this coating.
• Mycophenolic acid (Myfortic) tablets and mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept) capsules are not absorbed equally in the body. If you are switched from one brand to the another, take only the pills your doctor has predesigned. Always check your refills to create certain you have received the correct brand and type of medication.
• You will need regular medical trials to be certain this medicine is not causing deleterious effects. Visit your doctor regularly. Do not miss any follow up visits to your doctor for blood or urine tests.
• Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat.
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 severe forms of some of the side effects listed in this medicine guide.
What must I avoid while using mycophenolic acid?
• Avoid taking an antacid together with mycophenolic acid.
• Avoid being around people who are sick or have infections. Avoid activities that may magnify your risk of bleeding or injury.
• Avoid exposure to sunlight or tanning beds. Mycophenolic acid can magnify your risk of skin cancer. Wear protective clothing and use sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher) when you are outdoors.
• Do not receive a "live" vaccine while using mycophenolic acid. The vaccine may not work as well during this time, and may not fully protect you from malady. You may still be able to receive a flu shot, but ask your doctor first.
What are the possible side effects of mycophenolic acid?
• 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.
• Serious and sometimes fatal infections may occur during treatment with mycophenolic acid. Call your doctor right away if you have signs of infection such as:
· fever, flu symptoms, runny or stuffy nose, cough, sore throat, swollen glands;
· stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss;
· ear pain, headache;
· white patches or sores in your mouth or throat;
· pale skin, light bruising or unusual bleeding;
· confusion, change in your mental state, problems with vision, speech, memory, balance, or walking;
· weakness in your legs, lack of coordination;
· blood in your urine, pain or burning when you urinate;
· swelling, warmth, redness, or oozing near a skin wound; or
· a new bump or lesion on your skin, or a mole that has changed in size or color.
• Call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect such as:
· rapid heart course, rapid and shallow breathing, fainting;
· coughing up blood or vomit that looks like coffee grounds;
· bloody, black, or tarry stools;
· thirst, heighten urination, hot and dry skin;
· chest pain, dry cough, wheezing, feeling short of breath;
· feeling like you might pass out;
· slow or uneven heart course, weak pulse, tingly feeling, extreme thirst, heighten urination, leg discomfort, muscle weakness or limp feeling; or
· pancreatitis (severe pain in your upper stomach spreading to your back, nausea and vomiting, quick heart rate).
• Smaller serious side effects may include:
· constipation, weight gain;
· joint or muscle pain, back pain;
· dizziness, anxiety, sleep problems (insomnia); or
· swelling in your hands or feet.
• 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 mycophenolic acid?
• Speak your doctor about all another medicines you use, especially:
· cholestyramine (Questran), colesevelam (Welchol), or colestipol (Colestid);
· acyclovir (Zovirax) or ganciclovir (Cytovene); or
· another medicines that weaken the immune system, such as azathioprine (Imuran), or mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept).
• This list is not complete and another drugs may interact with mycophenolic acid. 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 mycophenolic acid.
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.
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