Patient Leaflet Updated 05-Oct-2020 | Esteve RD UK & Ireland Ltd (Formerly HRA Pharma UK and Ireland Limited)
Ketoconazole HRA 200mg Tablets
Ketoconazole HRA 200 mg tablets
ketoconazole
▼This medicine is subject to additional monitoring. This will allow quick identification of new safety information. You can help by reporting any side effects you may get. See the end of section 4 for how to report side effects.
1. What Ketoconazole HRA is and what it is used for
2. What you need to know before you take Ketoconazole HRA
3. How to take Ketoconazole HRA
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Ketoconazole HRA
6. Contents of the pack and other information
Ketoconazole HRA is a medicine that contains the active substance ketoconazole. It is used to treat endogenous Cushing’s syndrome (when the body produces an excess of cortisol) in adults and adolescents above the age of 12 years.
Cushing’s syndrome is caused by overproduction of a hormone called cortisol which is produced by the adrenal glands. Ketoconazole HRA is able to block the activity of the enzymes responsible for the synthesis of cortisol and consequently is able to decrease the over-production of cortisol by your body and to improve the symptoms of Cushing’s syndrome.
Do not take Ketoconazole HRA if any of the above applies to you. If you are not sure, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Ketoconazole HRA.
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Ketoconazole HRA.
Liver disease
Speak with your doctor if you have a history of liver disease. You should know that your liver enzyme tests will be regularly monitored before starting the treatment, once weekly during the first month after Ketoconazole HRA initiation and then monthly for 6 months due to the risk of serious hepatic toxicity. They will be checked again after that in case your doctor increases your daily ketoconazole dose. You should stop your treatment and contact your doctor immediately if you feel unwell or experience symptoms such as lack of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, jaundice, abdominal pain or dark urine.
Specific dosing regimen
If you take concomitant glucocorticoid replacement therapy with your Ketoconazole HRA treatment, your doctor should inform you how to adapt your glucocorticoid replacement therapy dose if you are under stress or have surgery or an infection. In addition, you should receive an emergency card and should be equipped with an emergency glucocorticoid set.
Adrenal function
Your adrenal function will be monitored at regular intervals as this is the standard care in the follow-up of Cushing’s syndrome therapy and since adrenal insuficiency can occur during the treatment. You should contact your doctor immediately if you have symptoms such as weakness, fatigue, lack of appetite, nausea, vomiting or low blood pressure.
Heart disease
Ketoconazole HRA can change how your heart beats – this can be serious. Contact your doctor immediately, if you get palpitations or an irregular heartbeat during treatment.
Coexisting inflammatory/autoimmune disorders
Tell your doctor if you suffer from an autoimmune disorder, you will be closely supervised.
This medicine is not recommended for children under 12 years due to the lack of data in these patients.
Tell your doctor or phamacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines. There are some medicines that must not be taken with Ketoconazole HRA (see section 2). Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information if you are taking Ketoconazole HRA with other medicines.
Medicines that can interact with Ketoconazole HRA include:
You should not take antacids (eg aluminium hydroxide) or other medicines for acid indigestion for at least 2 hours after the intake of Ketoconazole HRA (see section Warning and Precautions).
No alcohol should be consumed during treatment with ketoconazole.
Do not take this medicinal product during pregnancy. If you think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor for advice before taking this medicine.
Do not breastfeed your baby if you are taking Ketoconazole HRA.
Dizziness or somnolence have been reported during treatement with Ketoconazole HRA. Do not drive or operate machines if you experience these symptoms.
If you have been told by your doctor that you have intolerance to some sugars, contact your doctor before taking this medicinal product.
Initiation and follow up of the treatment must be supervised by specialists in endocrinology.
Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
Your doctor will test your blood before you start the treatment and regularly during the treatment to detect any possible abnormalities and also to measure the levels of cortisol. The dose will be adapted to your condition with the aim to restore normal cortisol levels.
The recommended initial dose is usually 600 mg per day taken orally (3 tablets per day in 3 divided times). A daily dose from 400 mg per day (2 tablets) to 1,200 mg per day (6 tablets) taken orally in 2 to 3 divided doses may be required to restore your normal cortisol levels.
If you have taken more than the prescribed dose of Ketoconazole HRA, you must contact your doctor immediately.
Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose. If you forget to take one dose, take this dose as soon as you remember. Then go on with regular schedule as prescribed. Do not change the prescribed dose yourself.
If you interrupt your treatment with Ketoconazole HRA your cortisol level may increase again and your symptoms may come back. Therefore, do not stop taking Ketoconazole HRA unless your doctor tells you.
If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
Some side effects may be serious. Liver problems can rarely happen (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people).
Stop taking Ketoconazole HRA and tell your doctor straight away if you experience any of the following:
Adrenal insufficiency is common and can be a serious side effect. Ketoconazole HRA may temporarily lower the amount of hormones produced by your adrenal gland (cortisol) to below the normal range, but your doctor will correct this using appropriate hormone medicines or by adjusting the dose of Ketoconazole HRA. You should contact your doctor immediately if you have symptoms such as weakness, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, low blood pressure.
Very common side effects (may affect more than 1 in 10 people):
Common side effects (may affect up to 1 in 10 people):
Uncommon side effects (may affect up to 1 in 100 people):
Very rare side effects (may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people):
Side effects with frequency not known (frequency cannot be estimated from the available data):
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via:
United Kingdom
or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store.
By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
Ketoconazole HRA is available in packs containing 60 tablets.
This leaflet was last revised in November 2019
Other sources of information
Detailed information on this medicine is available on the European Medicines Agency web site: http://www.ema.europa.eu.There are also links to other websites about rare diseases and treatments.
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