Nitrofurantoin 25mg/5ml Oral Suspension
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Furadantin 25mg/5ml Oral Suspension Nitrofurantoin
Read all of this leaflet carefully before you start using this medicine.
• Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.
• If you have any further questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
• This medicine has been prescribed for you. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their symptoms are the same as yours.
• If any of the side effects becomes serious, or if you notice any side effects not listed in this leaflet, please tell your doctor or pharmacist.
In this leaflet:
1. What Furadantin Oral Suspension is and what it is used for
2. Before you take Furadantin Oral Suspension
3. How to take Furadantin Oral Suspension
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Furadantin Oral Suspension
6. Further information
1. what furadantin oral suspension is and what it is used for
Nitrofurantoin (the active substance in Furadantin Oral Suspension) is an antibiotic.
It is used to prevent and treat infections of the bladder, kidney and other parts of the urinary tract.
2. before you take furadantin oral suspension do not take
Furadantin Oral Suspension and talk to your doctor if:
• you are allergic (causing itching, reddening of the skin or difficulty in breathing) to Nitrofurantoin or any of the ingredients of Furadantin Oral Suspension (listed in Section 6 at the end of the leaflet) or other medicines containing nitrofurantoin
• you have a disease of the kidneys which is severely affecting the way they work (ask your doctor if you are not sure)
• you are in the final stages of pregnancy (labour or delivery) as there is a risk that it might affect the baby
• you suffer from a blood disorder called porphyria
• you are deficient in an enzyme called G6PD (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase)
• in infants under three months of age.
Tell your doctor if you are not sure about any of the above.
TAKE SPECIAL CARE with Furadantin Oral Suspension and speak to your doctor or pharmacist before taking this medicine if:
• you have diabetes
• you are suffering from any illness causing severe weakness
• you have anaemia (a decrease in red blood cells causing pale skin, weakness and breathlessness); or a lack of vitamin B or abnormal levels of salts in your blood (your doctor will be able to advise you)
• you have a history of allergic reactions
• The above conditions may increase the chance of developing a side effect which results in damage to the nerves, causes altered sense of feeling pins and needles
• you lack an enzyme (body chemical) called glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, which causes your red blood cells to be more easily damaged (this is more common in black people and people of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern or Asian origin. Your doctor will know)
• you have any disease of the lungs, liver or nervous system. If you need to take Furadantin Oral Suspension for a number of months, your doctor may want to regularly check how your lungs and liver are working.
This medicine may interfere with urine tests for glucose, causing the test to give a “false positive” result. That is, the test may say that glucose is present in the urine even if it is not. This medicine may also cause your urine to turn yellow or brown.
Taking other medicines:
Please tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking or have recently taken any other medicines, including medicines obtained without a prescription. If they are taken with Furadantin Oral Suspension their effect or the effect of Furadantin Oral Suspension may be changed.
• Antacids for indigestion (e.g. magnesium trisilicate)
• Oral contraceptives (“the pill”)
• Typhoid vaccine
• Medicines for gout (e.g. probenecid or sulfinpyrazone);
• Medicines which slow the passage of food through the stomach (e.g. atropine, hyoscine)
• Medicines for raised pressure in the eye (glaucoma), such as carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (e.g. acetazolamide)
• Medicines which make the urine less acidic (e.g. potassium citrate mixture)
• Medicines for infections, known as quinolones.
If you are in doubt about any of these medicines ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Taking Furadantin Oral Suspension with food and drink:
Furadantin Oral Suspension should be taken at meal times with food or milk. This will help to avoid stomach upset and also to help the absorption.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding:
Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking any medicine. As far as it is known Furadantin Oral Suspension may be used in pregnancy. However, it should not be used during labour or delivery because there is a possibility that use at this stage may affect the baby. If you want to breast feed, please consult your doctor first.
Driving and using machines:
Furadantin Oral Suspension may cause dizziness and drowsiness. You should not drive or operate machinery if you are affected this way until such symptoms go away.
Important information about some of the ingredients in Furadantin Oral Suspension:
This medicine contains:
• Methylhydroxybenzoate (E218) and propyl parahydroxybenzoate (E216) which may cause allergic reactions (possibly delayed) and exceptionally, bronchospasm
• Glycerol (E422) which can be harmful in high does. It can cause headache, stomach upset and diarrhoea
• Less than lmmol sodium per dose, i.e. essentially sodium free.
3. how to take furadantin oral suspension
Follow your doctor's instructions exactly and complete the course of treatment even if you feel better. You should check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
Do not forget to take your medicine.
Adults:
The normal dosage depends on the type of infection you have and instructions should be written on the label provided by the pharmacist. Consult your pharmacist or doctor if these instructions are not clear. The usual doses are:
• For treatment of infections: two to four 5ml spoonfuls four times a day for seven days
• For prevention of further infections: two to four 5ml spoonfuls to be taken once a day
• For prevention of infections during surgery: two 5ml spoonfuls four times a day on the day of the operation and three days thereafter.
Children and infants aged over three months:
The dose depends on the weight of the child and will be provided by your doctor. Follow your doctor’s instructions exactly.
Children below 3 months of age should not take Furadantin Oral Suspension.
Medical Checks:
Your doctor will watch carefully for any effects on the liver, lungs, blood or nervous system. Furadantin Oral Suspension may interfere with the results of some tests for glucose in the urine.
If you TAKE MORE Furadantin Oral Suspension than you should:
Consult your doctor or pharmacist immediately or go to the emergency department of the nearest hospital. Always take any left over medicine with you, as well as the container and label, so that the medical staff knows what you have taken.
If you FORGET TO TAKE Furadantin Oral Suspension:
Do not worry. If you remember later on that day, take that day’s dose as usual. If you miss a whole day’s dose take the normal dose on the next day. Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose. If you are not sure ask your doctor or pharmacist.
If you STOP TAKING Furadantin Oral Suspension:
Your doctor will tell you how long to take the treatment. Do not stop earlier than you are told, even if you feel better. If you have any further questions on the use of this product, ask your doctor or pharmacist
4. possible side effects
Like all medicines, Furadantin Oral Suspension can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. Most of them are mild and disappear when you stop taking Furadantin Oral Suspension.
All medicines can cause allergic reactions although serious allergic reactions are rare. If you notice any sudden wheeziness, difficulty in breathing, swelling of the eyelids, face or lips, rash or itching (especially affecting your whole body) STOP TAKING your medicine and go to a doctor immediately.
If you experience any of the side effects detailed below or any other side effects, stop taking Furadantin Oral Suspension and consult your doctor.
• Your lungs may react to Furadantin Oral Suspension. This may develop quickly, within a week of starting treatment or very slowly, especially in elderly patients. This may produce fever, chills, cough and shortness of breath.
• Jaundice (inflammation of the liver causing yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes).
• The nerves outside the spinal cord may be affected causing changes to the sense of feeling and the use of muscles. In addition headache, extreme changes of mood or mental state, confusion, weakness, blurred vision may occur. These effects may be severe and in some instances permanent.
• Raised pressure in the skull (causing severe headaches).
Please note that while taking Furadantin Oral Suspension your urine may become dark yellow or brown coloured. This is quite normal and not a reason to stop taking the medicine. Other side effects include:
• Feeling sick (nausea) and headache.
• Diarrhoea
• Loss of appetite, stomach ache, and being sick (vomiting).
• Dizziness, drowsiness.
• Blood cells have been affected in some patients. This may result in bruising, delayed clotting of the blood, sore throat, fever, anaemia, and a susceptibility to colds or persistent cold.
• A variety of skin rashes or reactions have occurred in some patients. These may appear as flaking skin, a red rash or fever accompanied by rapid heart rate and severe rash with blistering.
Other reactions may include inflammation of salivary glands (causing facial pains), inflammation of the pancreas gland (causing severe abdominal pain) and joint pains.
• Short-term hair loss.
• Urinary infection by germs which are not sensitive to Furadantin Oral Suspension.
If any of the side effects become serious, or if you notice any side effects not listed in this leaflet, please tell your doctor or pharmacist.
Remember:
This medicine is only for you. Only a doctor can prescribe it for you. Never give this medicine to someone else. It could harm them, even if their symptoms seem the same as yours.
5. how to store furadantin oral suspension
Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not store above 25°C. Keep the bottle in the outer carton in order to protect from light. Do not freeze.
Do not use Furadantin Oral Suspension after the expiry date which is stated on the pack. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
Medicines should not be disposed of via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of medicines no longer required. These measures will help to protect the environment.
6. further information
What Furadantin Oral Suspension contains:
The active substance is Nitrofurantoin. Each 5ml spoonful contains 25mg of the Nitrofurantoin.
The other ingredients are glycerol, polysorbate 20, carbomer, saccharin sodium, methylhydroxybenzoate (E218), propyl parahydroxybenzoate (E216), sodium hydroxide, flavourings, purified water.
What Furadantin Oral Suspension looks like and contents of the pack:
Appearance: Furadantin Oral Suspension is an opaque yellow liquid with a lemon/apricot characteristic odour.
Packaging: this medicine is supplied in 300ml amber glass bottles.
Marketing Authorisation Holder:
Mercury Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Capital House, 85 King William Street, London EC4N 7BL, UK Manufacturer:
Dales Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Snaygill Industrial Estate, Keighley Road, Skipton, North
Yorkshire, BD23 2RW, UK
This leaflet was revised in December 2013