When treating people with HIV infection with specific drugs, the drug crofelemer is used to control various kinds of diarrhea. A group of drugs known as botanicals includes crofelemer. It functions by lessening the quantity of fluid that enters the colon and can trigger diarrhea.

Crofelemer is available as an oral delayed-release tablet that delivers the medication where it is most needed in the intestine. Normally, it is taken twice daily, either with or without food. Take crofelemer every day at roughly the same times. Ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any instructions on your prescription label that you are unsure about following. Crofelemer must be taken exactly as prescribed. Never take it in larger or less amounts or more frequently than directed by your doctor.

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

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

Before taking crofelemer,

• If you have an allergy to crofelemer, any other medications, or any of the ingredients in crofelemer tablets, inform your doctor and pharmacist right away. Request a list of the components from your pharmacist.
• 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.
• Inform your doctor if you are expecting, intend to get pregnant, or are nursing a baby. Call your doctor if you become pregnant while taking crofelemer.

Keep eating normally unless your doctor instructs you otherwise.

If you miss a dosage, take it as soon as you recall. If the next dose is soon due, skip the missed one and carry on with your regular dosing plan. To make up for a missing dose, do not take a second one.

Crofelemer could have negative effects. If any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away, let your doctor know right once:

• Cough, sneezing, or runny nose
• Fatigue, fever, chills, sputum-producing cough, or tightness in the chest
• Gas
• Nausea
• Abdomen-related edema
• Hemorrhoids
• Joint or back ache
• Frequent, painful, or challenging urinating
• Hazy or coloured urine
• Back ache or lower abdominal pressure
• Anxiety

Other negative effects of crofelemer 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 program online at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch or by phone at 1-800-332-1088 if you have a serious side event.

Keep this medication tightly closed in the original container and out of the reach of children. Keep it at room temperature and out of the bathroom and other places with excessive heat and moisture.

To make sure that pets, kids, and other people cannot take leftover pharmaceuticals, they should be disposed of in a specific manner. You shouldn’t flush this medication down the toilet, though. The best option to get rid of your medication is instead through a medication take-back program. To find out about take-back initiatives in your neighborhood, speak with your pharmacist or get in touch with your city’s waste/recycling department. If you do not have access to a take-back program, you can find more information at the FDA’s Safe Disposal of Medicines website (http://goo.gl/c4Rm4p).

As 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

Call the poison control hotline at 1-800-222-1222 in the event of an overdose. Additionally, 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.

Keep all of your doctor’s appointments.

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.