Sulfinpyrazone (Systemic)

Brand Names : Anturane, Anturan, Apo-Sulfinpyrazone, Novopyrazone

Before Using This Medicine

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 sulfinpyrazone, the following should be considered:

Allergies - Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to sulfinpyrazone or to aspirin, oxyphenbutazone (e.g., Tandearil), or phenylbutazone (e.g., Butazolidin), or other anti-inflammatory analgesics (medicines used for pain and/or inflammation). Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy - Sulfinpyrazone has not been reported to cause problems in humans.

Breast-feeding - It is not known whether sulfinpyrazone passes into the breast milk.

Children - Studies on this medicine have been done only in adult patients, and there is no specific information comparing use of sulfinpyrazone in children with use in other age groups.

Older adults - 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 sulfinpyrazone in the elderly with use in other age groups.

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. When you are taking sulfinpyrazone, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:

• Anticoagulants (blood thinners) or
• Carbenicillin by injection (e.g., Geopen) or
• Cefamandole (e.g., Mandol) or
• Cefoperazone (e.g., Cefobid) or
• Cefotetan (e.g., Cefotan) or
• Dipyridamole (e.g., Persantine) or
• Divalproex (e.g., Depakote) or
• Heparin (e.g., Panheprin) or
• Inflammation or pain medicine, except narcotics, or
• Moxalactam (e.g., Moxam) or
• Pentoxifylline (e.g., Trental) or
• Plicamycin (e.g., Mithracin) or
• Ticarcillin (e.g., Ticar) or
• Valproic acid (e.g., Depakene) - Use of these medicines together with sulfinpyrazone may increase the chance of bleeding

• Antineoplastics (cancer medicine) - The chance of serious side effects may be increased

• Aspirin or other salicylates, including bismuth subsalicylate (e.g., Pepto Bismol) - These medicines may keep sulfinpyrazone from working properly in treating gout, depending on the amount of aspirin or other salicylate that you take and how often you take it. Taking sulfinpyrazone and aspirin together may also increase the chance of bleeding

• Nitrofurantoin (e.g., Furadantin) - Sulfinpyrazone may keep nitrofurantoin from working properly

Other medical problems - The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of sulfinpyrazone. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Blood disease (or history of) or
• Cancer being treated by antineoplastics (cancer medicine) or radiation (x-rays) or
• Kidney stones (or history of) or other kidney disease or
• Stomach ulcer or other stomach or intestinal problems (or history of) - The chance of serious side effects may be increased; also, sulfinpyrazone may not work properly for treating gout if some kinds of kidney disease are present