General Information of the drug

• Miglitol works differently from other oral antidiabetes drugs, which control blood sugar levels by increasing the production of insulin or helping the body to use the hormone more efficiently.
• Miglitol delays the digestion of carbohydrates (sugars) by acting in the cells that line the small intestine, where sugar is absorbed. This results in less sugar being absorbed into the blood and therefore, a lower blood-sugar level.
• Miglitol also has some effect against the enzyme lactase, but usually does not cause lactose intolerance. Hypoglycemia (very low blood sugar) is unlikely with miglitol because of the way the drug works in diabetes.
• Miglitol may be prescribed with another antidiabetic drug if single-drug therapy is not enough to adequately control blood sugar levels.



• People taking miglitol should have their blood sugar checked periodically to see how well the drug is working. Your blood glucose should be carefully monitored if you add or withdraw any of these drugs while taking miglitol or acarbose. It is common for patients to equip themselves with Home Glucose Monitors, which is widely available.
• Thiazides and other diuretics, corticosteroid anti-inflammatory drugs, phenothiazines, thyroid drugs, estrogens, contraceptive drugs, phenytoin, nicotinic acid, stimulants, calcium channel blockers, and isoniazid may increase blood sugar levels.
• Miglitol and acarbose add to the blood-sugar-lowering effect of sulfonylureas, insulin, and other antidiabetes drugs and may increase the risk of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) associated with these drugs.
• Miglitol may interfere with the absorption of several drugs into the blood, including propranolol, ranitidine, digoxin, glyburide, and metformin. Seek advise with your doctor as he/she may need to adjust your dose of these drugs.
• Digestive enzyme preparations, charcoal, kaolin (an ingredient in Kaopectate), and antacids—as well as other drugs intended to absorb stomach contents—reduce the effects of miglitol and acarbose. Separate dosing of these drugs by at least 2 hours.
• Combining acarbose and digoxin may increase the effects of digoxin.
• As Miglitol prevents the breakdown of table sugar, if you take Miglitol in combination with insulin or a sulfonylurea prescription drugs, make sure to have a quick source of glucose (dextrose) with you to treat hypoglycemia ( symptoms include increased hunger, tiredness, sweating, increased heart rate, and numbness in the arms and legs ).
• Take your dose with the first bite of each meal. The drug has to be present in your intestine to prevent the absorption of sugar into your blood.
• As Miglitol cannot work unless there is food in your stomach, if you do forget to take a dose of miglitol with your meal, skip the dose you forgot. At the beginning of your next meal, continue with your regular dose .
• Before buying any nonprescription drug, seek advice with your pharmacist to be sure if it is safe for diabetics to take together with acarbose.

Cautions

• Do not take miglitol if you are sensitive or allergic to any of its ingredients
• If you have diabetic ketoacidosis, cirrhosis of the liver, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcers in the colon, intestinal obstruction, absorption or digestion diseases, or if intestinal gas, it will be a severe problem. Consult your doctor before taking this prescription.
• Acarbose may lead to liver inflammation.
• People with kidney disease retain higher levels of miglitol in the blood, but this does not affect the drug’s action because it acts locally in cells lining the small intestine. For patients with severe kidney disease should not take this drug due to drug retention in the blood.

Dosage and Possible Overdose ( This Prescription is not for Child )

• Acarbose :- Adult: 25-100 mg with breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
• Miglitol :- Adult: 25-100 mg with breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
• Miglitol must be taken with the first bite of each main meal.
• Unlike other antidiabetic medicines, a miglitol overdose does not cause hypoglycemia. Overdose symptoms are likely to include gas, diarrhea, and pain.
• Follow your doctor’s instructions especially for dietary plan, exercise, and blood- sugar testing. ( See Possible Side Effects below )

Possible Side Effects
a. Acarbose
Intestinal side effects of acarbose tend to improve or go away after a few weeks.
Most common:

• stomach gas (in 75% of people who take it),
• abdominal pain,
• and diarrhea.

( These side effects may be worse if you don’t restrict the amount of carbohydrate in your diet. Consult your doctor on proper dietary plan )

Less common or Rarely Occurs :

• skin rashes.
• swelling and itching,
• hepatitis or yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes,
• abdominal distress,
• abdominal obstruction,
• liver irritation,
• abnormalities in blood tests.

b. Miglitol ( Most side effects of miglitol go away with continued use of the drug )
Most common:  gas, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
Less common or Rare Effects : rash and low blood iron.

** For Unusual Side Effects that you may notice, seek your doctor advise immediately !

Pregnancy/Breast-feeding period :
Nursing Mothers who must take this drug should use infant formula, as the safety of using miglitol during pregnancy is not known, but small amounts of miglitol pass into breast milk. ( Diabetes during pregnancy is usually treated with insulin. )

Seniors Adult Consumption
Seniors with severe kidney disease should avoid this medication.

*Blood levels of acarbose are higher in older adults, but this is usually not considered important. Always consult your doctor if in doubt.

Parkinson’s disease

• Chronic (persistent) disorder of part of the brain, which affects the way the brain co-ordinates the movements of the muscles in various parts of the body.

General Information of the drug
Entacapone is always used in combination with levodopa + carbidopa. It is prescribed For Parkinson’s disease patients for whom levodopa + carbidopa loses its effectiveness between doses.

Entacapone enhances the effect of levodopa + carbidopa by reversing the action of an enzyme known as catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), which is primarily responsible for breaking down levodopa in the body.

Some patients experience signs and symptoms of an end-of-dose “wearing-off” effect with these drugs.

Cautions

• If you are allergic or sensitive to any of its ingredients -> Do not take entacapone !
• People with liver disease should use entacapone with caution as they may accumulate twice as much of this drug in their blood as people with normal liver function.
• Entacapone may cause kidney toxicity.
• Entacapone may increase the risk of dizziness or fainting when rising from a sitting or lying down position.
• Do not take entacapone with phenelzine or tranyleypromine -> Serious reaction may occur.
• Hallucinations have been reported with other Parkinson’s disease drugs.
• Entacapone has been rarely associated with the formation of fibrous tissues in unusual places such as the urinary tract and lungs. It has also caused fluid in the lungs.

Intake and Dosage

• Adult Dose Intake :- 200 mg with each levodopa + carbidopa dose, up to 1600 mg a day.
• Entacapone may be taken with or without food. However, Do Not Mix entacapone with the monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAGI) antidepressants phenelzine or tranylcypromine.
• Entacapone may be taken with the MA01 selegiline.
• Other drugs broken down by COMT will also be affected by entacapone.
• lsoproterenol, epinephrine, ephedrine, norepinephrine, isoetharine, and others will interact with entacapone, even when taken by inhalation. The result may be increased heart rate, arrhythmias, and excessive changes in blood pressure.
• Cholestyramine, probenecid, erythromycin, rifampin, ampicillin, and chioramphenicol may interfere with the elimination of entacapone from the body.
• Entacapone may enhance the effects of sedatives and other nervous system depressants.
• Although there have been no reports of significant entacapone overdose as of publcation. But theoretically, a massive entacapone overdose could prove lethal by completely inhibiting COMT throughout the body.
• Doses up to 800 mg have been taken and side effects were mainly abdominal pain and loose stools.
• Other effects that might be expected include difficulty breathing, loss of muscle coordination, reduced level of activity, and convulsions.
• Overdose victims should be taken to a hospital emergency room as soon as possible ( ALWAYS bring along the prescription bottle or container. )
  

Important Note

• This drug can cause dizziness, nausea, sweating, or fainting when rising quickly from a sitting or lying position, especially at the beginning of treatment.
• Always take your entacapone dose together with your levodopa + carbidopa dose. If you forget a dose. take it as soon as you remember. ( If it is within 2 hours of your next dose. skip the dose you forgot and continue with your regular schedule. )
• If you experience an increased body movements and twitching, twisting, or uncontrolled tongue, lip, face, arm, or leg movement, consult your doctor as he may need to adjust your dose of levodopa + carbidopa.
• Until your body has become accustomed to the effects of entacapone, it’s highly advisable to be caution when performing tasks, such as driving, that require coordination and concentration.
• Gradually reducing the dose of entacapone decreases some drug side effects.
• Patients who stop using entacapone should be monitored as rapid withdrawal of the drug can cause high fever, sweating, unstable blood pressure, stupor, and muscular rigidity.
• If your urine to turn a brownish-orange color after taking Entacapone,  it is usually harmless.

Possible Side Effects

Most of the common effects after taking this drugs are :-

• difficulty performing voluntary muscle functions,
• excessive muscle activity,
• nausea,
• urine discoloration,
• diarrhea,
• reduced muscle activity,
• dizziness,
• fatigue,
• constipation,
• abdominal pain.

Less common side effects or rarely occurs side effects ( Consult your doctor immediately ) :-

• low blood pressure and fainting ( especially when rising from a sitting or lying position ),
• hallucinations,
• anxiety,
• agitation,
• gastritis or other stomach disorders,
• dry mouth,
• vomiting,
• increased sweating,
• back pain,
• taste changes,
• shortness of breath,
• easy bruising,
• weakness,
• bacterial infection,
• muscle damage or death,
• high fever,
• confusion.

Pregnancy/Breast-feeding period :

• When this drug is considered crucial by your doctor, its potential benefits must be weighed against its risks.
• Entacapone causes birth defects, miscarriage and abortion in pregnant animals. It has been known that Entacapone passes into the breast milk of animals, but at the moment if publication, there is no information on humans is available. Nursing mothers who must take this drug should use infant formula.

General Information

• Prescribed for treating Uncomplicated urinary infection, Fosfomycin kills a variety of bacteria ( by preventing bacteria from sticking to the wall of the urinary tract and by interfering with bacterial cell division).
• In the body, it is converted to its active form—free fosfomycin.
• Generally, bacteria that are resistant to other antibiotics are not resistant to fosfomycin, so this drug may work where others have failed.

Cautions

Do not take fosfomycin if you are allergic or sensitive to any of its ingredients.

Fosfomycin is meant to be taken once, in a single dose ( Taking more than 1 packet of fosfomycin only increases side effects and it does not improve the drug’s effectiveness by taking more ).

Some less common side effects are :- diarrhea, vaginal irritation, runny nose, nausea, and headache.
Rare Side Effects :- Rare side effects can occur in almost any part of the body. Contact your doctor if you experience any side effect that is unusual, and/or not listed.

Note

• Metoclopramide reduces fosfomycin blood levels.

Usual Dose

• Adult (age 12 and over): 1 packet mixed with water. Child (under age 12) – not recommended.
• Little is known about the effects of fosfomycin overdose. Contact your local healthcare provider for more information.  ALWAYS bring the prescription container when you seek treatment.
• Do not take fosfomycin powder in its dry form. Mix the contents of the packet with 3-4 oz. of cool or cold water until it dissolves. Then drink the solution immediately. You may take fosfomycin with or without food.
• Contact your doctor if your infection does not improve within 2 or 3 days.

For those under Pregnancy/Breast-feeding period

• The safety of using fosfomycin during pregnancy is not known. When this drug is considered crucial by your doctor, its potential benefits must be carefully weighed against its risks.
  It is not known if fosfomycin passes into breast milk.
• Nursing mothers who must take this drug should use infant formula.

Seniors citizen :-

• Seniors may take fosfomycin without special restriction. Consult your doctor when in doubt.