boceprevir Oral

Vomiting, dry skin, or change in taste may occur. If any of these effects persist or worsen, tell your doctor or pharmacist promptly.
Remember that your doctor has prescribed this medication because he or she has judged that the benefit to you is greater than the risk of side effects. Many people using this medication do not have serious side effects.
Tell your doctor right away if you have any serious side effects, including: unusual tiredness, rapid breathing, shortness of breath, fast heartbeat, persistent sore throat/fever, unusual bleeding/bruising.
A very serious allergic reaction to this drug is rare. However, get medical help right away if you notice any symptoms of a serious allergic reaction, including: rash, itching/swelling (especially of the face/tongue/throat), severe dizziness, trouble breathing.
This is not a complete list of possible side effects. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist.
In the US -
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
In Canada - Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to Health Canada at 1-866-234-2345.

Before taking boceprevir, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to it; or if you have any other allergies. This product may contain inactive ingredients, which can cause allergic reactions or other problems. Talk to your pharmacist for more details.
Before using this medication, tell your doctor or pharmacist your medical history.
Before having surgery, tell your doctor or dentist about all the products you use (including prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, and herbal products).
Boceprevir, in combination with peginterferon and ribavirin, must not be used during pregnancy by either the pregnant woman or her male partner. The combination may cause harm to an unborn baby. Two reliable forms of birth control must be used whenever at least one sexual partner is using these medicines, and for six months after stopping treatment (see also Drug Interactions section). If you or your partner become pregnant, or if you think you or your partner may be pregnant, tell your doctor immediately.
It is unknown if this drug passes into breast milk. Consult your doctor before breast-feeding.

Drug interactions may change how your medications work or increase your risk for serious side effects. This document does not contain all possible drug interactions. Keep a list of all the products you use (including prescription/nonprescription drugs and herbal products) and share it with your doctor and pharmacist. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicines without your doctor\'s approval.
Other medications can affect the removal of boceprevir from your body, which may affect how boceprevir works. Examples include azole antifungals (such as ketoconazole, itraconazole), some anti-seizure drugs (such as carbamazepine, phenobarbital, phenytoin), macrolide antibiotics (such as erythromycin), rifamycins (such as rifabutin, rifampin), St. John\'s wort, among others.
Boceprevir can speed up or slow down the removal of other medications from your body, which may affect how they work. Examples of affected drugs include alfuzosin, colchicine, drospirenone, lurasidone, pimozide, tacrolimus, ergots (such as dihydroergotamine, ergotamine), drugs for irregular heartbeat (such as amiodarone, quinidine), HIV protease inhibitors (such as atazanavir, darunavir, lopinavir, ritonavir), some statins (such as lovastatin, simvastatin), sedatives (such as midazolam, triazolam), drugs to treat erectile dysfunction-ED or pulmonary hypertension (such as sildenafil, tadalafil), among others.
This medication may decrease the effectiveness of hormonal birth control such as pills, patch, or ring. This could cause pregnancy. Discuss with your doctor or pharmacist if you should use additional reliable birth control methods while using this medication. Also tell your doctor if you have any new spotting or breakthrough bleeding, because these may be signs that your birth control is not working well.

If overdose is suspected, contact a poison control center or emergency room immediately. US residents can call the US National Poison Hotline at 1-800-222-1222. Canada residents can call a provincial poison control center.

NOTES:
Do not share this medication with others.
Laboratory and/or medical tests (such as liver function tests, complete blood counts, hepatitis C virus RNA levels) should be performed periodically to monitor your progress or check for side effects. Consult your doctor for more details.
It is recommended that female patients or female partners of male patients take a pregnancy test before starting this medication. A pregnancy test should also be taken every month while using this medication and for 6 months after treatment ends to make sure no pregnancy occurs.

MISSED DOSE:
If you miss a dose and it is more than 2 hours from the time you usually take the next dose, take it with food as soon as you remember. If it is less than 2 hours from the time you usually take the next dose, skip the missed dose and resume your usual dosing schedule. Do not double the dose to catch up.

STORAGE:
Store in the refrigerator. This medication may also be stored at room temperature, but only up to 3 months. Store away from light and moisture. Do not store in the bathroom. Keep all medications away from children and pets.
Do not flush medications down the toilet or pour them into a drain unless instructed to do so. Properly discard this product when it is expired or no longer needed. Consult your pharmacist or local waste disposal company.
MEDICAL ALERT: Your condition can cause complications in a medical emergency. For information about enrolling in MedicAlert, call 1-800-854-1166 (US) or 1-800-668-1507 (Canada).
Information last revised August 2012. Copyright(c) 2012 First Databank, Inc.