Zalcitabine (Oral Route)

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Before Using

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered:

Allergies

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric

Zalcitabine can cause serious side effects in any patient. Therefore, it is especially important that you discuss with your child's doctor the good that this medicine may do as well as the risks of using it. Your child must be seen frequently and your child's progress carefully followed by the doctor while the child is taking zalcitabine.

Geriatric

Zalcitabine has not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it is not known whether it causes different side effects or problems in the elderly than it does in younger adults.

Pregnancy

Breastfeeding

There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding.

Drug Interactions

Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

• Cimetidine
• Didanosine
• Lamivudine
• Probenecid
• Ribavirin

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines may cause an increased risk of certain side effects, but using both drugs may be the best treatment for you. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

• Aluminum Carbonate, Basic
• Aluminum Hydroxide
• Aluminum Phosphate
• Calcium
• Calcium Carbonate
• Dihydroxyaluminum Aminoacetate
• Dihydroxyaluminum Sodium Carbonate
• Magaldrate
• Magnesium Carbonate
• Magnesium Hydroxide
• Magnesium Oxide
• Magnesium Trisilicate
• Pentamidine

Other Interactions

Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco.

Other Medical Problems

The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Alcohol abuse or
• Increased amylase (or a history of ) or
• Increased blood triglycerides (or a history of) or
• Pancreatitis (or a history of, or at risk for) or
• Receiving nutrition in your veins—Patients with these medical problems may be at increased risk of pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas).

• Abnormal liver function, or
• Alcohol abuse, history of, or
• At risk for liver disease, or
• Hepatitis, or
• Liver disease, or
• Obesity, or
• Taking medicines called nucleosides for a long time—Zalcitabine may make liver disease worse in patients with liver disease or a history of alcohol abuse.

• Allergy to zalcitabine, or
• Allergy to any part of the medicine—Serious allergic reactions can occur.

• Bone marrow disease—Patients with this condition may develop severe blood problems when taking zalcitabine.

• Heart problems, or
• Congestive heart failure—Zalcitabine may make these conditions worse.

• Kidney disease—Patients with kidney disease may have an increased chance of side effects.

• Low CD4 cell count—Zalcitabine may cause serious side effects in patients with very low CD4 cell counts.

• Peripheral neuropathy or at risk of developing peripheral neuropathy, or
• Diabetes, or
• Low CD4 cell count, or
• Weight loss—Zalcitabine may increase your chance of developing neuropathy or worsening neuropathy.

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