Didanosine (Systemic)

Brand Names : Videx, ddI

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 didanosine, the following should be considered:

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

Diet - Make certain your health care professional knows if you are on any special diet, such as a low-sodium (low-salt) diet. Didanosine chewable tablets and the oral solution packets contain a large amount of sodium. Also, didanosine tablets contain phenylalanine, which must be restricted in patients with phenylketonuria.

Pregnancy - Didanosine crosses the placenta. Studies in pregnant women have not been done. However, didanosine has not been shown to cause birth defects or other problems in animal studies. Also, it is not known whether didanosine reduces the chances that a baby born to an HIV-infected mother will also be infected. Before taking this medicine, make sure your doctor knows if you are pregnant or if you may become pregnant. This is especially important when taking didanosine together with stavudine.

Breast-feeding - It is not known whether didanosine passes into human breast milk. However, if your baby does not already have the AIDS virus, there is a chance that you could pass it to your baby by breast-feeding. Talk to your doctor first if you are thinking about breast-feeding your baby.

Children - Didanosine can cause serious side effects in any patient. Therefore, it is especially important that you discuss with your child's doctor the good that this medicine may do as well as the risks of using it. Your child must be carefully followed, and frequently seen, by the doctor while taking didanosine.

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 didanosine in the elderly with use in other age groups.

Other medicines - Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases 2 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 didanosine, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:

• Alcohol or
• Asparaginase (e.g., Elspar) or
• Azathioprine (e.g., Imuran) or
• Estrogens (female hormones) or
• Furosemide (e.g., Lasix) or
• Methyldopa (e.g., Aldomet) or
• Pentamidine (e.g., Pentam, Pentacarinat) or
• Sulfonamides (e.g., Bactrim, Septra) or
• Sulindac (e.g., Clinoril) or
• Thiazide diuretics (e.g., Diuril, Hydrodiuril) or
• Valproic acid (e.g., Depakote) - Use of these medicines with didanosine may increase the chance of pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)

• Allopurinol (e.g., Lopurin, Purinol) - This medicine should not be used with didanosine; use of this medicine will increase the amount of didanosine in your body to abnormally high levels

• Chloramphenicol (e.g., Chloromycetin) or
• Cisplatin (e.g., Platinol) or
• Ethambutol (e.g., Myambutol) or
• Ethionamide (e.g., Trecator-SC) or
• Hydralazine (e.g., Apresoline) or
• Isoniazid (e.g., Nydrazid) or
• Lithium (e.g., Eskalith, Lithobid) or
• Metronidazole (e.g., Flagyl) or
• Nitrous oxide or
• Phenytoin (e.g., Dilantin) or
• Stavudine (e.g., D4T) or
• Vincristine (e.g., Oncovin) or
• Zalcitabine (e.g., HIVID) - Use of these medicines with didanosine may increase the chance of peripheral neuropathy (tingling, burning, numbness, or pain in your hands or feet)

• Ciprofloxacin (e.g., Cipro) or
• Enoxacin (e.g., Penetrex) or
• Itraconazole (e.g., Sporanox) or
• Ketoconazole (e.g., Nizoral) or
• Lomefloxacin (e.g., Maxaquin) or
• Norfloxacin (e.g., Noroxin) or
• Ofloxacin (e.g., Floxin) - Use of these medicines with didanosine may keep these medicines from working properly; these medicines should be taken at least 2 hours before or 2 hours after taking didanosine

• Dapsone (e.g., Avlosulfon) - Use of dapsone with didanosine may increase the chance of peripheral neuropathy (tingling, burning, numbness, or pain in your hands or feet); it may also keep dapsone from working properly; dapsone should be taken at least 2 hours before or 2 hours after taking didanosine

• Ganciclovir (e.g., Cytovene) - Use of these medicines with didanosine may keep these medicines from working properly; these medicines should be taken at least 2 hours after taking didanosine

• Nitrofurantoin (e.g., Macrodantin) - Use of nitrofurantoin with didanosine may increase the chance of pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) and peripheral neuropathy (tingling, burning, numbness, or pain in your hands or feet)

• Delavirdine (e.g., Rescriptor) or
• Indinavir (e.g., Crixivan) - Use of these medicines with didanosine may keep these medicines from working properly; these medicines should be taken at least 1 hour before taking didanosine

• Tetracyclines (e.g., Achromycin, Minocin) - Use of tetracyclines with didanosine may increase the chance of pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas); it may also keep the tetracycline from working properly; tetracyclines should be taken at least 2 hours before or 2 hours after taking didanosine

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

• Alcoholism, active, or
• Increased blood triglycerides (substance formed in the body from fats in foods) or
• Pancreatitis (or a history of) - Patients with these medical problems may be at increased risk of pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)

• Edema or
• Heart disease or
• High blood pressure or
• Kidney disease or
• Liver disease or
• Toxemia of pregnancy - The salt contained in the didanosine tablets and the oral solution packets may make these conditions worse

• Gouty arthritis - Didanosine may cause an attack or worsen gout

• Peripheral neuropathy - Didanosine may make this condition worse

• Phenylketonuria (PKU) - Didanosine tablets contain phenylalanine, which must be restricted in patients with PKU