Before Using This Medicine

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For desmopressin, the following should be considered:

Allergies—Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to desmopressin. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy—Studies have not been done in pregnant women. Desmopressin has been used before and during pregnancy to treat diabetes insipidus and has not been shown to cause birth defects.

Breast-feeding—Desmopressin passes into breast milk in very small amounts. However, it has not been reported to cause problems in nursing babies.

Children—Infants may be more sensitive to the effects of desmopressin.

Older adults—Some side effects (confusion, continuing headache, drowsiness, problem with urination, weight gain) may be especially likely to occur in elderly patients, who are usually more sensitive than younger adults to the effects of desmopressin.

Other medicines—Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. Tell your health care professional if you are taking any other prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicine.

Other medical problems—The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of desmopressin. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Cystic fibrosis or
• Dehydration—Loss of sodium from the blood and serious side effects may be more likely to occur in patients with these conditions

• Headache, severe, or migraine or
• Heart or blood vessel disease or
• High blood pressure—Large doses of desmopressin can cause an increase or decrease in blood pressure

• Stuffy nose caused by cold or allergy—May prevent nasal desmopressin from being absorbed through the lining of the nose into the blood stream