Trientine (Systemic)

Brand Names : Syprine, trien

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 trientine, the following should be considered:

Pregnancy - Trientine has not been shown to cause birth defects or other problems in humans. However, it has been shown to cause birth defects in rats.

Breast-feeding - It is not known whether trientine passes into the breast milk. This medicine has not been reported to cause problems in nursing babies.

Children - Anemia is especially likely to occur in children during treatment with trientine.

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 trientine 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. When you are taking trientine, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking:

• Copper supplements or
• Iron supplements or other medicine containing minerals (contained in some vitamin combination products) - Use of these medicines with trientine may decrease the effects of trientine; iron supplements or other medicines containing minerals should be given 2 hours before or after trientine

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

• Iron-deficiency - Trientine may make this condition worse