Before the decision to start the treatment with this medication, it is essential to get informed about the expected beneficial effects, as well as, potential side effects and risks.
For this decision to be made, the beneficial effects must outweigh the potential risks. This is a decision that you and your doctor, together, will have to make. During the consultations, it is important to inform the doctor about:
Allergies – Inform the doctor about any allergic reactions to any kind of medications, prescribed or no prescribed. Also, inform the doctor about any allergic reactions to any specific kind of food, dye, fabric and etc.
Pediatric – Proper studies done have confirmed that this medication must not be used within children younger than 12 years of age.
Geriatric – Proper studies done have confirmed that this medication is safe to be used within geriatric patients. However, because of the increased risk of heart and kidney problems within the elderly, this medication must be used with extra caution.
Pregnancy – Inform the doctor if you are currently pregnant or have any plans about pregnancy in the near future. There are no studies done that would confirm the safety of this medication to be used during pregnancy. It is unknown how would it affect the fetus. This medication is not recommended to be used during pregnancy. However, it could be used only in cases where the beneficial effects outweigh the potential risks.
Breastfeeding – Inform the doctor if you are currently breastfeeding. Proper studies done have confirmed that this medication is extracted in the milk and that it poses a minimal risk to the infant when used within nursing mothers. This medication is not recommended to be used within nursing mothers.
Drug interactions – Inform the doctor if you are currently using any other medications, prescribed or no prescribed, even vitamins and herbal tea. This is important because certain medications are not recommended to be used in a combination with others, due to the possibility that certain interactions could occur. However, sometimes the doctor may decide to use a certain type of a combination, including two or more medications, to treat your condition if he or she considers that combination to prove as beneficial regarding your condition.
Other interactions – Certain medications are not recommended to be used in a combination with specific type of food, tobacco and alcohol. Because of this, it is important to get informed if there is a need for you to follow any specific type of diet, and discontinue your use of tobacco and alcohol during the treatment.
Other medical problems – Inform the doctor about your medical history, any other medical problems and conditions from the past or at the moment. Especially, inform the doctor if there are any of the following conditions are present – diabetes, heart rhythm, heart or blood vessel disease, hypertension, hyperthyroidism, hypokalemia, ketoacidosis, or seizures.
3 Proper Usage
For proper use, follow the directions given by your doctor. This medication is available in the form of a solution, for subcutaneous route.
The medication is applied by the doctor or a healthcare professional at the hospital, but you could as well be trained to apply the medication at home. The dose is individual for every patient, prescribed by the doctor and based on your condition and the prognosis of the treatment.
In order to get the most beneficial effects from its use, it is important to take each dose regularly. If you forget a dose, take it as soon as you remember. Do not double to catch up.
This medication is harmful in case of an overdose. If an overdose is suspected, contact the doctor as soon as possible.
4 Precautions to Take
Visit your doctor, regularly, at your scheduled appointments, so that he or she would be able to track your condition and make any adjustments if needed.
These adjustments may refer to the dose – e.g. the doctor may decide to increase or decrease the dose, or to the treatment itself – the doctor may decide to discontinue the treatment with this medication.
Inform the doctor about any allergic reactions to any kind of medications, prescribed or no prescribed. This is important because this medication may contain certain inactive substances that could cause certain interactions to occur.
Inform the doctor if you are currently pregnant or have any plans about pregnancy in the near future. This medication is not recommended to be used during pregnancy, due to the lack of studies that would confirm the safety of this medication to be used during pregnancy.
At least two proven forms of birth control should be used during the treatment in order to help prevent pregnancy. Inform the doctor if you are currently breastfeeding.
This medication is not recommended to be used within nursing mothers, because of the proper studies done which confirm that this medication is extracted in the milk, as well as, that this medication poses a harmful effect to the infant.
This medication is not recommended to be used within children younger than 12 years of age. This medication may cause dizziness or drowsiness. Avoid driving and any other activities which require alertness during the treatment.
Along with its expected beneficial effects, there are potential side effects which could occur. These potential side effects do not occur within all patients, also they could be mild or more serious.
However, it is important to get informed about the potential side effects, so that you would be able to notice their presence and inform the doctor as soon as possible.
These are common side effects, which are not considered as serious. However, if their presence worsens or persist, inform the doctor as soon as possible for further directions.
These are serious side effects, whose presence must be reported to the doctor as soon as possible.
A very serious allergic reaction to this medication is not common. However, if you notice any of the following symptoms, inform the doctor as soon as possible – skin rash, itching/swelling of the face/tongue/hands/feet, trouble breathing, or severe dizziness.
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