General Information and Indications:
Pimecrolimus is used to control the
symptoms of atopic dermatitis (a skin disease that is also called eczema).
Pimecrolimus is only used to treat patients who cannot take other
medications for atopic dermatitis, or whose symptoms were not controlled by
other medications. Pimecrolimus is in a class of medications called
immunosuppressants. It works by stopping the immune system from producing
substances that cause eczema.
Information For Users:
Pimecrolimus comes as a cream to apply to the
skin. It is usually applied twice a day for up to 6 weeks at a time. Follow
the directions on your prescription label, ask your doctor or pharmacist If
you have any questions. Apply pimecrolimus cream exactly as directed. Do not
apply more or less of it or apply it more often than prescribed by your
doctor.
You should not use pimecrolimus cream regularly for a long time. You should
only apply pimecrolimus cream when you have symptoms of atopic dermatitis.
Call your doctor when your symptoms go away to find out if you should stop
using pimecrolimus. Also call your doctor as soon as you notice that your
symptoms have come back to find out if you should start using pimecrolimus
again.
It may take 2 weeks or longer before you feel the full benefit of
pimecrolimus, but your symptoms should improve within 6 weeks. Call your
doctor if your symptoms worsen at any time during treatment or do not
improve after 6 weeks of treatment.
To use the cream, follow these steps:
o Wash your hands with soap and water.
o Apply a thin layer of pimecrolimus cream to all affected areas of your
skin. You can apply pimecrolimus to all affected skin surfaces including
your head, face, and neck. Be careful not to get the cream in your eyes or
mouth.
o Rub the cream into your skin gently and completely.
o Wash your hands with soap and water to remove any leftover pimecrolimus
cream. Do not wash your hands if you are treating them with pimecrolimus
cream.
o You may cover the treated areas with normal clothes, but do not use any
bandages, dressings, or wraps.
o Be careful not to wash the cream off affected areas of your skin. Do not
swim, shower, or bathe immediately after applying pimecrolimus cream.
Special
precautions:
o Inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have
allergy to pimecrolimus or any other medications.
o Inform your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription
medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are
taking. Be sure to mention any of the following: antifungals such as
fluconazole (Diflucan), itraconazole (Sporanox), and ketoconazole (Nizoral);
calcium channel blockers such as diltiazem (Cardizem, Dilacor, Tiazac,
others), and verapamil (Calan, Isoptin, Verelan); cimetidine (Tagamet);
clarithromycin (Biaxin); cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune); danazol (Danocrine);
delavirdine (Rescriptor); erythromycin (E.E.S., E-Mycin, Erythrocin);
fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem); fluvoxamine (Luvox); HIV protease inhibitors
such as indinavir (Crixivan), and ritonavir (Norvir); isoniazid (INH,
Nydrazid); metronidazole (Flagyl); nefazodone (Serzone); oral contraceptives
(birth control pills); other ointments, creams, or lotions; troleandomycin
(TAO); and zafirlukast (Accolate). Your doctor may need to change the doses
of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects.
o inform your doctor if you are breast-feeding any disease that affects your
immune system such as cancer, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), or
severe combined immunodeficiency syndrome (SCID); Netherton's syndrome (a
type of skin disease), or any type of skin infection, especially chicken
pox, shingles, herpes, or eczema herpeticum. Also Inform your doctor if you
are being treated with any form of light therapy such as phototherapy, UVA,
or UVB.
o Inform your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are
breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while taking pimecrolimus, call your
doctor.
o plan to avoid unnecessary or prolonged exposure to sunlight and to wear
protective clothing, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Also avoid exposure to
artificial sunlight such as tanning beds. Pimecrolimus cream may increase
the risk that you will develop skin cancer if your skin is exposed to
sunlight.
o avoid exposure to chicken pox, shingles and other viruses. If you are
exposed to one of these diseases while using pimecrolimus, call your doctor
without delay.
o you should know that good skin care and moisturizers may help relieve your
symptoms. Talk to your doctor about the moisturizers you should use, and
always apply them after applying pimecrolimus cream.
Possible Adverse
Effects:
Pimecrolimus may cause adverse effects. Inform
your doctor if any of the following symptoms are severe or do not go away:
o burning warmth, or redness in the areas where you applied pimecrolimus
(call your doctor if this lasts more than 1 week)
o headache
o cough
o red, stuffy or runny nose
Some adverse effects could be serious. The following symptoms are uncommon,
but if you experience any of them, call your doctor without delay:
o sore or red throat
o fever
o flu-like symptoms
o ear pain, discharge, and other signs of infection
o warts, bumps, or other growths on skin
o swollen glands in the neck
Some patients developed skin cancer or lymph node cancer while they were
using pimecrolimus cream. It is not known if pimecrolimus cream caused the
cancer to develop or if the patients would have developed cancer even if
they had not used the medication. Talk to your doctor about the risks of
using pimecrolimus cream.
Brand Name(s):
o Elidel® |
