Valganciclovir (Systemic)

Brand Names : Valcyte

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 valganciclovir, the following should be considered:

Allergies - Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to valganciclovir or ganciclovir. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy - Valganciclovir has not been studied in pregnant women. However, studies in animals have shown that valganciclovir causes birth defects and other problems. Use of valganciclovir during pregnancy should be avoided whenever possible. The use of birth control is recommended during valganciclovir therapy. Men should use a condom while taking valganciclovir, and for at least 90 days following treatment.

Breast-feeding - It is not known whether valganciclovir passes into the breast milk. However, valganciclovir is not recommended during breast-feeding, because it may cause unwanted effects in nursing babies.

Children - Studies on this medicine have been done only in adult patients, and there is no specific information comparing use of valganciclovir 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 valganciclovir 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 valganciclovir, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:

• Amphotericin B by injection (e.g., Fungizone) or
• Antineoplastics (cancer medicine) or
• Antithyroid agents (medicine for overactive thyroid) or
• Azathioprine (e.g., Imuran) or
• Chloramphenicol (e.g., Chloromycetin) or
• Colchicine or
• Cyclophosphamide (e.g., Cytoxan) or
• Flucytosine (e.g., Ancobon) or
• Interferon (e.g., Intron A, Roferon-A) or
• Mercaptopurine (e.g., Purinethol) or
• Methotrexate (e.g., Mexate) or
• Plicamycin (e.g., Mithracin) or
• Zidovudine (e.g., AZT, Retrovir) - Caution should be used if these medicines and valganciclovir are used together; receiving valganciclovir while you are using these medicines may make anemia and other blood problems worse

• Didanosine (e.g., Videx) or
• Mycophenolate (e.g., CellCept) or
• Probenecid (e.g., Benemid) - Use of these medicines with valganciclovir may increase the chance of side effects

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

• Kidney disease - Valganciclovir may build up in the blood in patients with kidney disease, increasing the chance of side effects

• Low platelet count or
• Low red blood cell count or
• Low white blood cell count - Valganciclovir may make these blood diseases worse