Drug Info: A: Amphotericin B Lipid Complex Injection

Amphotericin B Lipid Complex Injection

(am foe ter' i sin)

Brand name(s): Abelcet

About your treatment

Your doctor has ordered amphotericin, anantifungal agent, to help treat your infection. It will beadded to an intravenous fluid that will drip through a needleor catheter placed in your vein for several hours, once a dayor once every other day.

Amphotericin is used to kill fungi that cancause many serious and life-threatening infections.Amphotericin is not effective against bacterial infections orviruses. This medication is sometimes prescribed for otheruses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Your health care provider (doctor, nurse,or pharmacist) may measure the effectiveness and side effectsof your treatment using laboratory tests and physicalexaminations. It is important to keep all appointments withyour doctor and the laboratory. The length of treatment dependson how your infection and symptoms respond to themedication.

Precautions

Before administering amphotericin,

• tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic toamphotericin or any other drugs.
• tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription andnonprescription medications you are taking, especiallyantibiotics, cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune), dexamethasone(Decadron), flucytosine (Ancobon), medications for high bloodpressure or heart disease, muscle relaxants, prednisone, andvitamins.
• tell your doctor if you have or have ever had kidneydisease or diabetes.
• tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to becomepregnant, or are breast-feeding. Amphotericin must be usedwith extreme caution in these cases. Your doctor may directyou to stop breast-feeding or even prescribe a differentdrug. If you become pregnant while taking amphotericin, callyour doctor immediately.

Administering your medication

Before you administer amphotericin, look atthe solution closely. It should be clear and free of floatingmaterial. Gently squeeze the bag or observe the solutioncontainer to make sure there are no leaks. Do not use thesolution if it is discolored, if it contains particles, or ifthe bag or container leaks. Use a new solution, but show thedamaged one to your health care provider.

It is important that you use yourmedication exactly as directed. Do not stop your therapy onyour own for any reason because your infection could worsen andresult in hospitalization. Do not change your dosing schedulewithout talking to your health care provider. Your health careprovider may tell you to stop your infusion if you have amechanical problem (such as a blockage in the tubing, needle,or catheter); if you have to stop an infusion, call your healthcare provider immediately so your therapy can continue.

Side effects

Although side effects from amphotericin arenot common, they can occur. These side effects include fever,chills, headache, nausea, vomiting, and pain or irritation atthe injection site during or shortly after infusion. These sideeffects are usually more common and more severe with the firstfew doses of amphotericin. Your health care provider mayprescribe other medications to decrease these side effects. Ifyou have never experienced any of these effects from previousdoses and suddenly have symptoms, stop your infusion and callyour health care provider immediately.

Tell your health care provider if any ofthese symptoms are severe or do not go away:

• diarrhea
• stomach cramping
• joint or muscle aches
• weight loss

If you experience any of the followingsymptoms, call your health care provider immediately:

• difficulty breathing
• increased urination
• change in heartbeat

Storing your medication

• Your health care provider may give you enoughamphotericin to last several days and provide you withdirections on how to prepare each dose.

Store your medication only as directed.Make sure you understand what you need to store your medicationproperly.

Keep your supplies in a clean, dry placewhen you are not using them, and keep all medications andsupplies out of reach of children. Your health care providerwill tell you how to throw away used needles, syringes, tubing,and containers to avoid accidental injury.

In case of emergency/overdose

In case of overdose, call your local poisoncontrol center at 1-800-222-1222. If the victim has collapsedor is not breathing, call local emergency services at 911.

Signs of infection

You should be aware of the symptoms ofinfection in case your infection worsens or a new infectiondevelops. If you notice any of the following symptoms, tellyour health care provider as soon as possible:

• fever
• unusual tiredness or weakness
• chills
• shaking
• nighttime sweating
• loss of appetite

If you are receiving amphotericin in yourvein or under your skin, you need to know the symptoms of acatheter-related infection (an infection where the needleenters your vein or skin). If you experience any of theseeffects near your intravenous catheter, tell your health careprovider as soon as possible:

• tenderness
• warmth
• irritation
• drainage
• redness
• swelling
• pain