Complete adverse effect profile including incidence rates and management
Important Safety Information
This is not a complete list of all possible side effects. Contact your healthcare provider if you experience any unexpected symptoms. For serious or life-threatening side effects, seek emergency medical attention immediately.
6 ADVERSE REACTIONS Adverse reactions 1% or greater in hydatid disease: abnormal liver function tests, abdominal pain, nausea/vomiting, reversible alopecia, headache, dizziness/vertigo, fever.
( 6.1 ) Adverse reactions 1% or greater in neurocysticercosis: headache, nausea/vomiting, raised intracranial pressure, meningeal signs.
( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Amneal Pharmaceuticals at 1-877-835-5472 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.
6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice.
The adverse reaction profile of albendazole differs between hydatid disease and neurocysticercosis.
Adverse reactions occurring with a frequency of 1% or greater in either disease are described in Table 2 below.
These symptoms were usually mild and resolved without treatment.
Treatment discontinuations were predominantly due to leukopenia (0.7%) or hepatic abnormalities (3.8% in hydatid disease).
The following incidence reflects adverse reactions that were reported to be at least possibly or probably related to albendazole.
T able 2: Adverse Reaction Incidence 1% or Greater in Hydatid Disease and Neurocysticercosis A dverse Reaction H ydatid Disease N eurocysticercosis G astrointestinal Abdominal Pain 6 0 Nausea 4 6 Vomiting 4 6 G eneral disorders and administration site conditions Fever 1 0 Investigations Elevated Hepatic Enzymes 16 less than 1 N ervous system disorders Dizziness 1 less than 1 Headache 1 11 Meningeal Signs 0 1 Raised Intracranial Pressure 0 2 Vertigo 1 less than 1 Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders Reversible Alopecia 2 less than 1 The following adverse events were observed at an incidence of less than 1%: Blood and Lymphatic System Disorders: There have been reports of leukopenia, granulocytopenia, pancytopenia, agranulocytosis, or thrombocytopenia [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] .
5 WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS Bone Marrow Suppression: Fatalities have been reported due to bone marrow suppression;
monitor blood counts in all patients at the beginning of each 28-day cycle of therapy, and every 2 weeks while on therapy.
Discontinue albendazole if clinically significant changes in blood counts occur.
( 5.1 , 5.4 ) Embryo-fetal Toxicity: Obtain pregnancy test in women of reproductive potential prior to therapy and avoid usage in pregnant women except in clinical circumstances where no alternative management is appropriate.
Discontinue therapy if pregnancy occurs and apprise patient of potential hazard to the fetus.
Like all medications, Albendazole can cause side effects. However, not everyone who takes this medication will experience them. Many side effects are dose-dependent and may improve as your body adjusts to the medication. Others may require dose adjustment or medical attention.
Contact your healthcare provider promptly if you experience:
Seek immediate emergency medical care if you experience signs of: