Praziquantel (Systemic)

Brand Names : Biltricide

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 praziquantel, the following should be considered:

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

Pregnancy - Studies have not been done in humans. Studies in rats and rabbits given up to 40 times the usual human dose have not shown that praziquantel causes birth defects. However, praziquantel has been shown to cause a greater chance of miscarriage in rats given 3 times the human dose.

Breast-feeding - Praziquantel passes into the breast milk. You should stop breast-feeding on the day you begin taking praziquantel. Do not restart breast-feeding until 72 hours after treatment is completed. During this time the breast milk should be squeezed out or sucked out with a breast pump and thrown away.

Children - This medicine has been tested in a limited number of children 4 years of age or older and, in effective doses, has not been reported to cause different side effects or problems in children over 4 years of age than it does in adults.

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 praziquantel 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 praziquantel. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Liver disease - Patients with moderate to severe liver disease may have an increased chance of side effects

• Worm cysts in the eye - The death of worm cysts in the eye caused by praziquantel may cause damage to the eyes