PEGINTERFERON ALFA-2B

Minor side effects (if these symptoms persist or worsen, inform your doctor)

• Aching, fullness, or tension in the sinuses, bruising, irritation, or itching at the injection site, burning, crawling, itching, numbness, prickling, “pins and needles”, or tingling feelings, change in taste, difficulty with moving, flushing of the skin, hair loss, indigestion, loss of taste, muscle pain or stiffness, pain in the bones or muscles, runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, thinning of the hair, Muscle rigidity or stiffness.

Serious side effects (inform your doctor immediately)

• Abdominal or stomach pain, anxiety, black, tarry stools, blood in the urine or stools, bloody diarrhea, chills, cloudy urine, cough or hoarseness, depression, difficult or labored breathing, fever, irritability, lower back or side pain, mood swings, nausea, painful or difficult urination, pale skin, pinpoint red spots on the skin, tightness in the chest, trouble sleeping, troubled breathing with exertion, unusual bleeding or bruising, unusual tiredness or weakness, vomiting, Changes in menstrual cycle, constipation, drowsiness, dry hair and skin, sensitivity to cold, weight gain, Aching, pain, or stiffness in the joints, aggressive behavior, attempt to kill yourself, backache, chest pain (severe) , cool, pale skin, decrease in vision, diarrhea, difficulty with speaking, dizziness, drug addiction or overdose, eye pain, fast or irregular heartbeat, feeling of constant movement of self or surroundings, headache, loss of appetite, muscle weakness, nervousness, numbness or loss of feeling in one or both limbs on the same side of the body, palpitations, paralysis, possible decrease in the amount of urine, rash, hives, or itching, restlessness, sensation of spinning, sensitivity to heat, sensitivity to sunlight, sweating (excessive), thick, scaly skin, thoughts of killing someone, thoughts of killing yourself, warm, smooth, or moist skin, weight loss.

• Inform your doctor.
  • Allergy to the medication or any allergies.
  • Medical History of chronic hepatitis C or Melanoma.

• For CHRONIC HEPATITIS C PATIENTS:
  • May cause/aggravate fatal or life-threatening neuropsychiatric, autoimmune, ischemic, and infectious disorders. Close monitoring with periodic clinical and laboratory evaluations is recommended. Patients with persistently severe or worsening signs/symptoms of these disorders should be withdrawn from therapy. In most cases, these disorders resolve after this drug is stopped.

• For MELANOMA PATIENTS:
  • Risk of serious depression (with suicidal ideation and completed suicides) and other serious neuropsychiatric disorders increased with alfa interferons. This drug should be permanently discontinued in patients with persistently severe or worsening signs/symptoms of depression, psychosis, or encephalopathy. These disorders may not resolve after therapy is stopped.

• If you are planning to be pregnant or think you may be pregnant, discuss the risks and benefits of use with your doctor.

• Consult your doctor before breast-feeding as this medication passes into breast milk and although adverse effects are unlikely.

Overdose

If overdose is suspected, contact a poison control center or emergency room immediately.

Brands

Also marketed as

• Peg-Intron Redipen [ Schering-Plough ]