Teriparatide

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What is the most important information I should know about teriparatide?

This medication has been found to cause an increased risk of bone cancer in animal studies. It is not known if this risk is also increased in humans treated with teriparatide. Talk with your doctor about your individual risk.

Teriparatide can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.

Avoid smoking cigarettes, or try to quit smoking altogether. Smoking can reduce your bone mineral density, making fractures more likely.

Avoid drinking alcohol, which also may affect your bone mineral density.

Warning

Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.

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What is teriparatide?

Teriparatide is a man-made form of a hormone called parathyroid that exists naturally in the body. Teriparatide increases bone density and increases bone strength to help prevent fractures.

Teriparatide is used to treat osteoporosis in men and women who have a high risk of bone fracture.

Teriparatide may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Precautions

Do not use this medication if you are allergic to teriparatide.

Before using teriparatide, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs, or if you have:

Paget's disease or other bone disorders (besides osteoporosis);
high levels of calcium or alkaline phosphatase in your blood;
a condition called hyperparathyroidism;
a bone disease other than osteoporosis;
a history of bone cancer or radiation treatment involving your bones; or
if you have ever had kidney stones.

If you have any of these conditions, you may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely use teriparatide.

FDA pregnancy category C. This medication may be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.

It is not known whether teriparatide passes into breast milk. Do not use teriparatide without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

Teriparatide can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.

Avoid smoking cigarettes, or try to quit smoking altogether. Smoking can reduce your bone mineral density, making fractures more likely.

Avoid drinking alcohol, which also may affect your bone mineral density.

Instructions

Seek medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine.

Overdose symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headache, feeling light-headed, or fainting.

Use the medication as soon as you remember the missed dose. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and use the medicine at your next regularly scheduled time. Do not use extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

Side Effects

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Stop using teriparatide and call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

feeling light-headed or fainting every time you inject this medicine;
fast or pounding heartbeats every time you inject this medicine; or
nausea, vomiting, constipation, and muscle weakness.

Less serious side effects may include:

mild dizziness;
pain, redness, bruising, itching, or swelling where the medicine was injected;
leg cramps;
joint pain;
cough, sore throat, runny nose;
headache or neck pain; or
nausea, constipation, diarrhea.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Tell your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Interactions

Before using teriparatide, tell your doctor if you are taking digoxin (digitalis, Lanoxin, Lanoxicaps). You may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely use teriparatide.

There may be other drugs not listed that can interact with teriparatide. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.