Foscarnet, Injection

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KEY POINTS

• This medicine is given by IV to treat infections cause by herpes simplex, or by cytomegalovirus in people with AIDS.
• Keep all appointments for eye exams and tests to see how this medicine affects you.
• This medicine may cause kidney damage, seizures, or other unwanted side effects. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that are serious, continue, or get worse.
• Tell all healthcare providers who treat you about all the prescription medicines, nonprescription medicines, supplements, natural remedies, and vitamins that you take.

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What are other names for this medicine?

Type of medicine: antiviral

Generic and brand names: foscarnet, injection; Foscavir

What is this medicine used for?

This medicine is given by IV infusion (slow drip through a needle into a large vein). This medicine is only approved for use in people with a weak immune system who have:

• Eye problems caused by cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in people with AIDS. This medicine is not a cure. CMV infection may continue or get worse during or after treatment.
• Infections caused by the herpes simplex virus that cannot be treated by another medicine. It is not a cure, but it will promote healing.

This medicine may be given along with other medicines.

This medicine may be used to treat other conditions as determined by your healthcare provider.

What should my healthcare provider know before I take this medicine?

Before taking this medicine, tell your healthcare provider if you have ever had:

• An allergic reaction to any medicine
• Anemia or other blood disorder
• Heart disease or an irregular heartbeat
• Kidney disease
• Low levels of electrolytes (calcium, magnesium, potassium, or phosphorus) in your blood
• Seizures

Also tell your provider if you are on a low sodium diet.

Females of childbearing age: Tell your healthcare provider if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known whether this medicine will harm an unborn baby. Do not breast-feed while taking this medicine without your healthcare provider's approval.

How do I use it?

The infusions are given by a healthcare provider, usually every 8 hours. Infusions are usually given for 2 to 3 weeks depending on your response.

This medicine may harm your kidneys. To help prevent this, your provider may suggest that you drink extra liquids while you are being given this medicine.

What should I watch out for?

You need to have regular eye exams and frequent blood tests to find out if this medicine is affecting your eyes or kidneys. Keep all your appointments.

This medicine may cause seizures due to imbalance of electrolytes. Talk with your healthcare provider about this.

This medicine may make you dizzy or drowsy, or cause seizures. Do not drive or operate machinery unless you are fully alert and know how this medicine will affect you.

Adults over the age of 65 may be at greater risk for side effects. Talk with your healthcare provider about this.

If you need emergency care, surgery, lab tests, or dental work, tell the healthcare provider or dentist you have received this medicine.

What are the possible side effects?

Along with its needed effects, your medicine may cause some unwanted side effects. Some side effects may be very serious. Some side effects may go away as your body adjusts to the medicine. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that continue or get worse.

Life-threatening (Report these to your healthcare provider right away. If you cannot reach your healthcare provider right away, get emergency medical care or call 911 for help.): Allergic reaction (hives; itching; rash; trouble breathing; chest pain or tightness in your chest; swelling of your lips, tongue, and throat).

Serious (Report these to your healthcare provider right away.): Fever; irregular or fast heartbeat; chest pain; unexplained sore throat or cough; trouble breathing; seizures; tingling, soreness or numbness of your mouth; numbness of your hands or feet; unusual bruising or bleeding; severe tiredness or weakness; muscle cramps, pain, or weakness; painful urination or decrease in urination; severe dizziness or fainting; sores on the genitals; new or worsening vision problems; unusual mood changes; confusion; extreme thirst; severe nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea; severe skin redness, blisters, or peeling skin; redness, burning, pain, or swelling at the injection site.

Other: Mild nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea; mild tiredness; loss of appetite; mild stomach pain; mild dizziness; mild headache; increased sweating.

What products might interact with this medicine?

When you take this medicine with other medicines, it can change the way this or any of the other medicines work. Nonprescription medicines, vitamins, natural remedies, and certain foods may also interact. Using these products together might cause harmful side effects. Talk to your healthcare provider if you are taking:

• Anagrelide (Agrylin)
• Antibiotics such as amikacin, azithromycin (Zithromax, Zmax), bedaquiline (Sirturo), ciprofloxacin (Cipro), clarithromycin (Biaxin), erythromycin (E.E.S., Ery-Tab, Erythrocin), gentamicin, kanamycin, levofloxacin (Levaquin), moxifloxacin (Avelox), streptomycin, telavancin (Vibativ), telithromycin (Ketek), tobramycin, and vancomycin (Vancocin)
• Antidepressants such as amitriptyline, citalopram (Celexa), clomipramine, desipramine (Norpramin), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac), imipramine (Tofranil), nortriptyline (Pamelor), protriptyline, sertraline (Zoloft), trazodone, and venlafaxine (Effexor)
• Antifungal medicines such as amphotericin b, fluconazole (Diflucan), itraconazole (Sporanox), ketoconazole (Nizoral), posaconazole (Noxafil), and voriconazole (Vfend)
• Antipsychotic medicines such as aripiprazole (Abilify), asenapine (Saphris), chlorpromazine, clozapine (Clozaril, FazaClo), fluphenazine, haloperidol (Haldol), iloperidone (Fanapt), olanzapine (Zyprexa), paliperidone (Invega), pimozide (Orap), quetiapine (Seroquel), risperidone (Risperdal), thioridazine, trifluoperazine, and ziprasidone (Geodon)
• Antiviral medicines such as acyclovir (Zovirax), cidofovir (Vistide), tenofovir (Viread), and valacyclovir (Valtrex)
• Apomorphine (Apokyn)
• Cancer medicines such as arsenic trioxide (Trisenox), ceritinib (Zykadia), crizotinib (Xalkori), lapatinib (Tykerb), nilotinib (Tasigna), pazopanib (Votrient), sorafenib (Nexavar), sunitinib (Sutent), toremifene (Fareston), vandetanib (Caprelsa), and vemurafenib (Zelboraf)
• Cisapride
• Diuretics (water pills) such as bumetanide, furosemide (Lasix), and torsemide (Demadex)
• Doxepin (Silenor)
• Eliglustat (Cerdelga)
• Fingolimod (Gilenya)
• Heart medicines such as amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone), disopyramide (Norpace), dofetilide (Tikosyn), dronedarone (Multaq), flecainide, mexiletine, procainamide, propafenone (Rythmol), quinidine, and ranolazine (Ranexa)
• HIV medicines such as atazanavir (Reyataz), lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra), nelfinavir (Viracept), rilpivirine (Edurant), ritonavir (Norvir), and saquinavir (Invirase)
• Immunosuppressants such as cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune) and tacrolimus (Astagraf, Prograf, Protopic)
• Malaria medicines such as artemether/lumefantrine (Coartem), chloroquine, mefloquine, primaquine, and quinine
• Methotrexate (Otrexup, Rasuvo, Rheumatrex, Trexall)
• Mifepristone (Korlym, Mifeprex)
• Nausea medicines such as dolasetron (Anzemet), droperidol (Inapsine), and ondansetron (Zofran)
• Pain medicines such as aspirin, buprenorphine (Buprenex, Butrans), celecoxib (Celebrex), diclofenac (Cambia, Voltaren, Zipsor), diflunisal, etodolac, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), indomethacin (Indocin), ketoprofen, ketorolac, meloxicam (Mobic), methadone (Dolophine, Methadose), nabumetone (Relafen), naproxen (Aleve, Anaprox, Naprelan), oxaprozin (Daypro), piroxicam (Feldene), and sulindac (Clinoril)
• Paroxetine (Brisdelle, Paxil, Pexeva)
• Pentamidine (NebuPent, Pentam)
• Tetrabenazine (Xenazine)

If you are not sure if your medicines might interact, ask your pharmacist or healthcare provider. Keep a list of all your medicines with you. List all the prescription medicines, nonprescription medicines, supplements, natural remedies, and vitamins that you take. Be sure that you tell all healthcare providers who treat you about all the products you are taking.

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This advisory includes selected information only and may not include all side effects of this medicine or interactions with other medicines. Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for more information or if you have any questions.

Keep all medicines out of the reach of children.

Do not share medicines with other people.