FAQ
What should you know about taking Zavesca? Find answers to your most common questions here.
Learn moreSafety information
Understanding Your Zavesca Therapy is an Important First Step.
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Like many drugs, Zavesca may cause side effects. Many of these side effects, if they occur, may lessen or go away over time. Still, you should be aware of side effects that may occur while you are taking Zavesca.
Zavesca can cause problems affecting your nerves (neurological problems):
Hand tremors (shaky movements, like you've had too much coffee to drink) or worsening of a hand tremor that you already have. Tremors may begin within the first month of starting treatment. Sometimes the tremors may go away within 1 to 3 months with continued treatment. Sometimes lowering the dose or stopping Zavesca is needed to help the tremors go away. Call your doctor if you get hand tremors while taking Zavesca or if the hand tremors you already have get worse.
Numbness and tingling in your hands, arms, legs, or feet (peripheral neuropathy). Call your doctor right away if you get numbness or tingling in your arms or legs. Your doctor may test your nerves (neurological exam) before you start Zavesca, and again after you’ve begun therapy.
Weight Loss. Some people lose weight when starting treatment with Zavesca.
Diarrhea. The most common side effect for people taking Zavesca. Your doctor may give you a medicine to manage diarrhea if it is a problem for you, and may recommend dietary changes to reduce high-carbohydrate foods at the start of your treatment with Zavesca. Please see the "Simple Steps" and "Helping Yourself with Healthy Choices" brochures for guides to managing your diet. Your doctor or dietitian can also help you with developing a meal plan that is best for you.
Some of the other side effects that people have experienced with Zavesca are:
- Gas
- Stomach pain
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Constipation
- Low platelet count
- Muscle cramps
- Weakness
- Cramps
- Vomiting
- Lack of appetite
- Vision problems
What to do about possible side effects
Like many drugs, Zavesca has side effects. While they may go away on their own over time, people who take Zavesca should call their doctor if they become concerned about these side effects.1
Your doctor will recommend a lower dose of Zavesca if it is appropriate. You should not change your dose of Zavesca on your own. These are not all the side effects that may occur with Zavesca. For more information, ask your doctor or your pharmacist. Also, see the section Changing your diet can make a difference.
What is ZAVESCA?
ZAVESCA is a prescription medicine taken by mouth for adults with mild to moderate type 1 Gaucher disease. ZAVESCA is used only in people who cannot be treated with enzyme replacement therapy.
Important Safety Information for Zavesca:
In clinical studies, the most common adverse events due to Zavesca included weight loss, diarrhea, and trembling in the hand (tremor). Other common adverse reactions were excess gas (flatulence), abdominal pain, and headache. The most common serious adverse reaction was tingling or numbness in the hands or feet with or without pain (peripheral neuropathy). Patients should undergo neurological examination at the start of treatment and every 6 months thereafter; Zavesca should be reassessed in patients who develop symptoms of peripheral neuropathy. Zavesca may cause fetal harm if administered to a pregnant woman. Men should maintain reliable contraceptive methods and not plan to father a child while taking Zavesca and for 3 months after discontinuing treatment.
Please see full Prescribing Information.
REF:
| 1. | Zavesca® (miglustat) full prescribing information. Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc. 2010. |
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