Pentetate calcium trisodium

Generic name: Pentetate Calcium Trisodium
Drug class: Antidotes

Usage of Pentetate calcium trisodium

Pentetate Calcium Trisodium is used to remove harmful substances, such as plutonium, americium, or curium from your body.

This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription.

Pentetate calcium trisodium side effects

Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Also, because of the way these medicines act on the body, there is a chance that they might cause other unwanted effects that may not occur until months or years after the medicine is used. These may include certain types of cancer, such as leukemia or bladder cancer. Discuss these possible effects with your doctor.

Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur:

Incidence unknown

Chest pain

cough

difficulty swallowing

dizziness

fast heartbeat

hives

itching

puffiness or swelling of the eyelids or around the eyes, face, lips or tongue

shortness of breath

skin rash

tightness in chest

unusual tiredness or weakness

wheezing

Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:

Incidence unknown

Bleeding, blistering, burning, coldness, discoloration of skin, feeling of pressure, hives, infection, inflammation, itching, lumps, numbness, pain, rash, redness, scarring, soreness, stinging, swelling, tenderness, tingling, ulceration, or warmth at site

blistering, crusting, irritation, itching, or reddening of skin

cracked, dry, scaly skin

diarrhea

headache

lightheadedness

metallic taste

nausea

swelling

Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Before taking Pentetate calcium trisodium

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

Although there is no specific information comparing use of pentetate calcium trisodium in children with use in other age groups, this medicine when given by injection is not expected to cause different side effects or problems in children than it does in adults.

Geriatric

Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults or if they cause different side effects or problems in older people. There is no specific information comparing use of pentetate calcium trisodium in the elderly with use in other age groups.

Breast Feeding

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.

Interactions with Medicines

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. Tell your healthcare professional if you are taking any other prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicine.

Interactions with Food/Tobacco/Alcohol

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.

Relate drugs

How to use Pentetate calcium trisodium

Harmful substances may accumulate in your bladder. Therefore, to increase the flow of urine and decrease the time your bladder contains these harmful substances, your doctor may instruct you to drink plenty of liquids and urinate often while being treated with pentetate calcium trisodium to help eliminate the harmful substances.

Dosing

The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine.

For inhalation dosage form

To help with the removal of harmful substances in individuals breathing in the harmful substances

Adults—1 gram once a day.

Children—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.

For parenteral dosage form

To help with the removal of harmful substances in individuals exposed by some other way than breathing in the substances

Adults—1 gram once a day.

Children—14 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) once a day.

Missed Dose

Call your doctor or pharmacist for instructions.

Warnings

To prevent radiation contamination of other persons or environment:

Using a normal toilet instead of a urinal

Flushing toilet several times after each use

Completely cleaning up any spilled urine with a tissue and flushing it away

Washing hands thoroughly with soap after urinating or a bowel movement

Immediately laundering clothes and linens soiled with urine, feces or blood; washing them separately from other clothes

Avoid swallowing any solid substances that may be coughed up. Dispose of solid substances in sink or toilet. Flush several times if put in toilet or flush sink by washing hands thoroughly with soap after disposal.

Extra precaution in handling urine, feces, and substances coughed up by children to avoid additional exposure to the caregiver or to the child.

If you are breast-feeding your baby, talk to your doctor about how long you must formula feed your baby and how to dispose of the breast milk containing harmful substances.

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.