PRAZIQUANTEL

(PRAZ i KWON tel) Brand: Biltricide

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

• You must not take this medication if you are allergic to praziquantel, or if you have take rifampin (Rifadin, Rifater, Rifamate) in the recent 4 weeks.

• Till taking praziquantel, speak your doctor if you have kidney malady, heart malady, liver malady, or a history of seizures or epilepsy.

• Do not give this medicine to a baby younger than 4 years old.

• Praziquantel may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be alert.

• Praziquantel must be taken with a meal.

• Do not crush or chew the praziquantel tablet. Swallow the pill whole.

• Take this medicine with a full glass (8 ounces) of water.

What is praziquantel?

• Praziquantel is an anthelmintic (an-thel-MIN-tik) or anti-worm medicine. It prevents newly hatched insect larvae (worms) from growing or multiplying in your body.

• Praziquantel is used to treat infections caused by Schistosoma worms, which enter the body through skin that has come into contact with contaminated water. Schistosoma worms are found in Africa, South America, Medium Eastern countries, the Caribbean, and parts of Asia.

• Praziquantel is also used to treat infection with liver flukes, caused by a type of worm found in East Asia. This worm enters the body while eating contaminated fish.

• Praziquantel must not be used to treat parasitic infections in the eye.

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

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

• You must not take this medication if you are allergic to praziquantel, or if you have take rifampin (Rifadin, Rifater, Rifamate) in the recent 4 weeks.

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

· headaches, confusion;

· seizures (or a history of seizures or epilepsy);

· lumps (nodules) under your skin;

· kidney disease;

· heart malady; or

· liver disease.

• FDA pregnancy category B. Praziquantel is not expected to be deleterious to an unborn child. Speak your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.

• Praziquantel can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing child. Do not use this medicine without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

• Do not give this medicine to a baby younger than 4 years old.

How must I take praziquantel?

• 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 this medicine with a full glass (8 ounces) of water.

• Praziquantel is generally taken 3 times in one day. Your doses must be taken 4 to 6 hours separately on that day.

• Praziquantel must be taken with a meal.

• You may need to interrupt a praziquantel tablet in order to get the correct doze. Follow your doctor's instructions.

• Do not crush or chew the praziquantel tablet or portion of a tablet. Swallow the pill whole.

• 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.

What must I avoid while taking praziquantel?

• Praziquantel may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be alert.

• Grapefruit and grapefruit juice may interact with praziquantel and lead to potentially dangerous effects. Discuss the use of grapefruit commodity with your doctor.

What are the possible side effects of praziquantel?

• 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.

• Smaller serious side effects may include:

· weary feeling;

· headache, dizziness;

· nausea, upset stomach;

· mild fever; or

· mild skin rash.

• 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 praziquantel?

• Speak your doctor about all another medications you are using, especially:

· cimetidine (Tagamet);

· chloroquine (Aralen);

· itraconazole (Sporanox) or ketoconazole (Extina, Ketozole, Nizoral, Xolegal);

· dexamethasone (Decadron, Hexadrol);

· erythromycin (E.E.S., EryPed, Ery-Tab, Erythrocin);

· St. John's wort;

· rifabutin (Mycobutin) or rifapentine (Priftin);

· a barbiturate such as amobarbital (Amytal), butabarbital (Butisol), mephobarbital (Mebaral), secobarbital (Seconal), or phenobarbital (Solfoton);

· HIV medicine such as efavirenz (Sustiva, Atripla), etravirine (Intelence), nevirapine (Viramune), or ritonavir (Norvir, Kaletra);

· medicines to treat narcolepsy, such as armodafinil (Nuvigil) or modafinil (Progivil); or

· seizure medicine such as carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Equetro, Tegretol), felbamate (Felbatol), oxcarbazepine (Trileptal), or phenytoin (Dilantin), or primidone (Mysoline).

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

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.