Teriparatide (Systemic)

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 teriparatide, the following should be considered:

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

Pregnancy - Teriparatide should not be used during pregnancy. Teriparatide has been associated with fetal abnormalities in animals.

Breast-feeding - It is not known whether teriparatide passes into the breast milk. However, teriparatide is not recommended during breast-feeding, because it may cause unwanted effects in nursing babies.

Children - This medicine is not usually recommended for use in children. Teriparatide should not be used in children or young adults due to possible adverse effects on growing bones.

Older adults - This medicine has been tested and has not been shown to cause different side effects or problems in older people than it does in young adults. Nonetheless, elderly patients may be more sensitive than younger adults to the effects of teriparatide.

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.

When you are taking teriparatide it is especially important that you health care professional knows if you are taking the following:

• Digoxin (e.g., Lanoxin) - Teriparatide may increase the adverse effects of this medicine.

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

• Bone cancer or other cancers that have spread to your bones, or prior history or
• Bones that are still growing or
• Hypercalcemia (too much calcium in your blood), pre-existing or
• Other metabolic bone diseases or
• Paget's disease of bone or
• Radiation therapy of bones, or prior history - Teriparatide should not be used in people with these conditions

• Urolithiasis, active or recent - Teriparatide may may cause the condition to worsen