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Copegus (Generic Ribavirin)

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WARNING

Even when combined with another medicine, ribavirin is ineffective at treating hepatitis C, a virus that affects the liver and may result in serious liver damage or liver cancer. If you have hepatitis C, your doctor will advise you to take another drug in addition to ribavirin. Take both prescriptions as prescribed.

Ribavirin may lead to anaemia (condition in which there is a decrease in the amount of red blood cells), which might exacerbate any existing cardiac issues and lead to a potentially fatal heart attack. Inform your doctor if you have ever experienced a heart attack, high blood pressure, breathing issues, or any condition that affects your blood, such as thalassemia or sickle cell anaemia (an inherited condition in which the red blood cells have an abnormal shape and cannot carry oxygen throughout the body) (Mediterranean anemia; a condition in which the red blood cells do not contain enough of the substance needed to carry oxygen), heart disease or intestinal or stomach haemorrhage. Call your doctor right away if you have any of the following symptoms: severe fatigue, pallor, headaches, vertigo, confusion, a rapid heartbeat, weakness, difficulty breathing, or chest pain.

Keep all of your appointments with your physician and the lab. Before you begin taking ribavirin and frequently while you are receiving therapy, your doctor will perform blood tests.

Whenever you refill your prescription for ribavirin, your doctor or pharmacist will provide you the manufacturer’s patient information leaflet (Medication Guide). If you have any questions, carefully read the material and contact your doctor or pharmacist. The Medication Guide is also available on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website at http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm085729.htm.

You should discuss the dangers of using ribavirin with your doctor.

Patients who are female:

If you are or want to become pregnant, avoid using ribavirin. Ribavirin shouldn’t be taken until a pregnancy test has revealed that you are not pregnant. Throughout your treatment and for six months after it, you are required to use two methods of birth control and submit to monthly pregnancy tests. In the event that you become pregnant during this time, call your doctor right away. The foetus may suffer or even die as a result of ribavirin.

For male patients:

If your spouse is pregnant or intends to become pregnant, do not take ribavirin. You should wait to start taking ribavirin if you have a partner who is potentially pregnant until a pregnancy test demonstrates that she is not pregnant. During your treatment and for six months after it, you must use two methods of birth control, one of which must be a condom containing spermicide. At this period, your spouse must undergo monthly pregnancy tests. If your partner becomes pregnant, call your doctor right away. The foetus may suffer or even die as a result of ribavirin.

Why is this medication prescribed?

Ribavirin is used with an interferon drug, such as peginterferon alpha-2b [PEG-Intron] or peginterferon alfa-2a [Pegasys], to treat hepatitis C in patients who have never received an interferon treatment. The antiviral drug ribavirin belongs to the nucleoside analogues class of drugs. It functions by preventing the spread of the hepatitis C virus within the body. It is unknown whether hepatitis C infection can be cured, whether liver damage brought on by hepatitis C can be avoided, or whether hepatitis C can be stopped from spreading to other people through treatment using ribavirin and another drug.

How should this medicine be used?

Ribavirin is available as a pill, capsule, and liquid oral solution for oral administration. For 24 to 48 weeks or more, it is often taken with food twice daily, in the morning and the evening. Take ribavirin every day at roughly the same time. Ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any instructions on your prescription label that you are unsure about following. Use ribavirin as prescribed by your doctor. Never take it in larger or less amounts or more frequently than directed by your doctor.

Do not break, chew, or crush the capsules; instead, swallow them whole.

Before each usage, give the beverage a good shake to evenly distribute the medication. After each liquid measurement, make careful to wash the measuring cup or spoon.

If you experience any negative side effects from the drug or if certain laboratory tests reveal that your condition has not improved, your doctor may reduce your dose or instruct you to stop using ribavirin. If you are troubled by ribavirin side effects, call your doctor. If your doctor has not instructed you to, do not reduce your dose or stop taking ribavirin.

Other uses for this medicine

Moreover, ribavirin is occasionally used to treat viral hemorrhagic fevers (viruses that can cause bleeding inside and outside of the body, problems with many organs, and death). Ribavirin can be used to treat intentionally spread viral hemorrhagic fever in the case of biological warfare. Moreover, ribavirin is occasionally utilised to treat severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS; a virus that may cause breathing problems, pneumonia, and death). Discuss the potential dangers of using this medication for your illness with your doctor.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more details if you believe this drug should be used for something else.

What special precautions should I follow?

Before taking ribavirin,

  • If you have an allergy to ribavirin, any other medications, or any of the ingredients in ribavirin tablets, capsules, or oral solution, let your doctor and pharmacist know right once. For a list of the ingredients, consult the Medication Guide or speak with your pharmacist.
  • Informing your physician that you are taking didanosine (Videx). If you are currently on this medicine, your doctor generally won’t advise you to take ribavirin.
  • Inform your doctor and pharmacist about any additional prescription and over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, dietary supplements, and herbal products you are now taking or intend to use. Incorporate any of the following: abacavir (Ziagen, in Atripla, in Trizivir), emtricitabine, and other nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) are examples of these drugs (Emtriva, in Atripla, in Truvada), tenofovir (Viread, in Atripla, in Truvada), zidovudine (Retrovir, in Combivir, in Trizivir), stavudine (Zerit), and tenofovir (Epivir, in Combivir, in Epzicom); and immune-suppressing drugs like cancer chemotherapy, cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune), sirolimus (Rapamune), and tacrolimus (Prograf). Your physician might need to adjust the dosage of your drugs or keep a close eye on you for side effects.
  • Inform your physician if you suffer from autoimmune hepatitis, renal disease, or liver failure (swelling of the liver that occurs when the immune system attacks the liver). Your physician might advise against taking ribavirin.
  • Inform your doctor if you consume substantial amounts of alcohol or have ever done so, if you use or have ever used street drugs, if you have ever considered, plotted, or attempted to commit suicide, or if you have ever had a liver transplant or received an organ from someone else. Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had diabetes, cancer, HIV/AIDS, psychosis (loss of contact with reality), or any other mental illnesses like depression, anxiety, or psychosis, any type of liver disease other than hepatitis C; or thyroid, pancreas, eye, or lung disease. Sarcoidosis, a condition in which abnormal tissue grows in body parts such as the lungs; Gilbert’s syndrome, a mild liver condition that may cause yellowing of the skin or eyes; gout; and any type of arthritis caused by crystals deposited in the joints.
  • Inform your doctor if you are nursing a baby.
  • Ribavirin may cause you to feel sleepy, lightheaded, or disoriented. Prior to understanding how this drug affects you, avoid using machinery or driving a car.
  • If you are taking ribavirin, avoid drinking alcohol. Your liver illness could get worse if you drink.
  • You should be aware that taking this drug may cause your mouth to feel extremely dry, which can cause issues with your teeth and gums. Make sure you wash your teeth twice day and visit the dentist frequently. If you vomit, make sure to completely rinse your mouth.

What special dietary instructions should I follow?

While taking ribavirin, make sure you are getting enough fluids.

What should I do if I forget a dose?

Take the medication as soon as you remember if the missing dosage was that day. But, call your doctor to find out what to do if you don’t remember the missed dose until the next day. To make up for a missing dose, do not take a second one.

What side effects can this medication cause?

Ribavirin may produce adverse effects. If any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away, let your doctor know right once:

  • Cough
  • Uneasy stomach
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Constipation
  • Heartburn
  • Reduced appetite
  • Loss of weight
  • Alteration in food tasters
  • Mouth ache
  • Having trouble concentrating
  • Having trouble falling or staying asleep
  • No memory
  • Rash
  • Skin that is dry, inflamed, or itchy
  • Sweating
  • Irregular or painful periods (period)
  • Bone or muscle ache
  • Hair fall

Some adverse effects may be severe. Despite the fact that the following signs and symptoms are unusual, if you see any of them or any of the ones in the IMPORTANT WARNING section, call your doctor right away:

  • Hives
  • Swelling of the lower legs, hands, feet, ankles, or face, neck, tongue, lips, eyes, or mouth
  • Hoarseness
  • Breathing or swallowing challenges
  • Stomach or lower back discomfort
  • Bloody stools
  • Reddish blood in the stools
  • Tarry, black stools
  • Abdominal bloating
  • Confusion
  • Urine with a deep colour
  • Skin or eyes turning yellow
  • Uncommon bruising or bleeding
  • Vision alters
  • Fever, chills, and other infection-related symptoms
  • Depression
  • Considering harming or dying oneself
  • Mood swings
  • Excessive anxiety
  • Irritability
  • Starting to use alcohol or illicit drugs after previously abusing them
  • Resistance to the cold

Children’s growth and weight gain may be slowed by ribavirin. The hazards of giving your child this medication should be discussed with your child’s doctor.

Further negative effects of ribavirin are possible. If you experience any strange issues while taking this medicine, contact your doctor right away.

You or your doctor can submit a report to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting programme online or by phone if you have a serious side event (1-800-332-1088).

What should I know about storage and disposal of this medication?

Keep this medication tightly closed in the original container and out of the reach of children. Ribavirin pills and capsules should be kept at room temperature, away from sources of extreme heat and moisture (not in the bathroom). Ribavirin oral solution should be kept at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Unused prescriptions must be disposed of carefully to prevent pets, kids, and other people from ingesting them. You should not, however, dispose of this medication in the toilet. Instead, utilising a medicine take-back programme is the easiest approach to get rid of your medication. To find out about take-back programmes in your area, speak with your pharmacist or the garbage/recycling department in your city. If you do not have access to a take-back programme, see the FDA’s Safe Disposal of Medications website at http://goo.gl/c4Rm4p for additional information.

Although many containers (such as weekly pill minders and those for eye drops, creams, patches, and inhalers) are not child-resistant and are simple for young children to open, it is crucial to keep all medications out of sight and out of reach of children. Always lock safety caps and promptly stash medication up and away from young children where it is out of their sight and reach to prevent poisoning. http://www.upandaway.org

In case of emergency/overdose

Call the poison control hotline at 1-800-222-1222 in the event of an overdose. Moreover, information can be found online at https://www.poisonhelp.org/help. Call 911 right once if the person has collapsed, experienced a seizure, is having difficulty breathing, or cannot be roused.

What other information should I know?

No one else should take your medication. Any queries you may have regarding medication refills should be directed to your pharmacist.

You should keep a written record of every medication you take, including any over-the-counter (OTC) items, prescription drugs, and dietary supplements like vitamins and minerals. This list should be brought with you whenever you see a doctor or are admitted to the hospital. You should always have this information with you in case of emergencies.

Brand names

  • Copegus®
  • Moderiba®
  • Rebetol®
  • Ribasphere®
  • Virazole®
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