Pentasa - Important Consumer Information
PENTASA IS A PRESCRIPTION MEDICINE
Pentasa Tablets 500mg, Pentasa Enema 1g/100 ml, Pentasa Suppository 1g, Pentasa Granules (Sachets) 1g.
The active ingredient in PENTASA® is mesalazine.
These medicines are used to treat Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (UC)/ulcerative proctosigmoiditis and left-sided colitis/ulcerative proctitis.
Pentasa has risks and benefits. Further information on the risks and benefits of this medicine can be found in the Consumer Medicines Information (CMI). Please refer to www.medsafe.govt.nz or your Pharmacist for a copy of the CMI.
Consult your Doctor to see if this medicine is right for you. Use strictly as directed. If symptoms continue or you have side effects, see your Doctor, Pharmacist or Healthcare Professional.
Pentasa Tablets 500mg, Suppositories 1g, Enemas 1g/100 ml, and Granules (Sachets) 1g are funded prescription medicines. Doctor's charges will apply.
Do not use Pentasa if you have an allergy to any medicine containing mesalazine or aspirin-like medicines, or to any of Pentasa’s ingredients. Do not use Pentasa if you have a severe kidney or liver problem.
SIDE EFFECTS:
All medicines can have side effects.
Tell your Doctor or Pharmacist if you notice any of the following and they worry you: headache, diarrhoea, abdominal or stomach pain, nausea (feeling sick), vomiting, flatulence, mild skin rash. This list includes the more common side effects of your medicine.
Tell your Doctor as soon as possible if you notice any of the following: dizziness, numbness, tingling or weakness of the arms and legs; bruising easily, unusual bleeding (e.g. nosebleeds), or signs of infection such as fever, chills, sore throat and mouth ulcers; muscle aches and pains; painful or swollen joints; severe upper stomach pain, nausea and vomiting; changes in kidney function/kidney disease, and or urine discolouration; yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark coloured urine; hair loss; increased sensitivity of your skin to sun and ultraviolet light (photosensitivity); worsening of your condition. This list includes serious side effects which may require medical attention. These side effects are rare.
If you notice any of the following, tell your Doctor immediately or go to Accident and Emergency at your nearest hospital: sudden signs of allergic reactions such as rash, itching or hives, shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, or swelling of limbs, face, lips, mouth, tongue or throat which may cause difficulty swallowing or breathing; severe stomach cramps and/or pain, bloody diarrhoea, fever, severe headache and skin rash; rash with severe blisters and bleeding of the eyes, mouth, lips, nose and genitals; lupus erythematosus-like reactions; chest pain and/or pain behind the breast bone sometimes spreading to the neck and shoulders, or with fever. The above list includes very serious side effects, which may need urgent medical attention or hospitalisation. These side effects are rare.
Other rare side effects that have been reported with Pentasa include; changes in liver function, changes in the blood, changes in kidney function, kidney stones may develop with use of mesalazine (symptoms may include pain in sides of abdomen and blood in urine). Take care to drink sufficient amount of liquid during treatment with mesalazine. Your doctor may do blood tests, or other tests, to check if there are any changes in your blood, kidney, liver or reproductive system function.
Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some people.
Tell your Doctor or Pharmacist as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are taking Pentasa.
IMPORTANT CONSUMER INFORMATION
The information provided in this website is not intended to replace advice given by your Doctor, Pharmacist or other Healthcare Professional. If you have any concerns about your health and or treatments please consult a Doctor, Pharmacist or other Healthcare Professional.
Consult your Doctor to see if this medicine is right for you.
This website does not contain all the consumer medicines information. For full consumer medicines information, please refer to www.medsafe.govt.nz or your Pharmacist.
Pharmaco (NZ) Ltd, Auckland.