Pentamidine (Inhalation)

Brand Names : NebuPent, Pentacarinat, Pneumopent

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 pentamidine inhalation, the following should be considered:

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

Pregnancy - Studies on birth defects have not been done in humans. However, studies in rabbits, given doses by injection much larger than humans would absorb into their bloodstream through the lungs, have shown an increase in miscarriages and bone defects in the fetus.

Breast-feeding - It is not known whether pentamidine passes into breast milk. However, pentamidine has not been reported to cause problems in nursing babies.

Children - Studies on this medicine have been done only in adult patients, and there is no specific information comparing use of pentamidine inhalation in children with use in other age groups. However, pentamidine inhalation is recommended in children 5 years of age and older who cannot tolerate other medicines.

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 pentamidine inhalation 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. Tell your health care professional if you are taking any other prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicine.

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

• Asthma - Patients with asthma may have an increase in coughing or difficulty in breathing while receiving pentamidine inhalation