Eflornithine (Topical)

Brand Names : Vaniqa

Before Using This Medicine

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of using the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For eflornithine, the following should be considered:

Allergies - Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to eflornithine. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances or topical medications.

Pregnancy - Studies with eflornithine have not been done in pregnant women. In animal studies, when taken by mouth, eflornithine has been shown to cause birth defects or other problems. If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, discuss with your doctor whether you should use this medicine during pregnancy.

Breast-feeding - It is not known whether eflornithine passes into breast milk. Mothers who are taking this medicine and wish to breast-feed should discuss this with their doctor.

Children - There is no specific information comparing use of eflornithine in children under the age of 12 years with use in other age groups. However, this medicine is not expected to cause different side effects or problems in older children than it does in adults.

Older adults - This medicine has been tested and has not been shown to cause different side effects or problems in older people than it does in younger adults.

Other 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 health care professional if you are using any other topical prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicine that is to be applied to the same area of the skin.