Before Receiving 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 gallium nitrate the following should be considered:

Allergies—Tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Diet—Make certain your health care professional knows if your diet includes large amounts of calcium-containing foods and/or vitamin D, such as milk or other dairy products. Also let your health care professional know if you are on any special diet, such as a low-sodium or a low-sugar diet.

Pregnancy—Studies on effects in pregnancy have not been done in either humans or animals.

Breast-feeding—It is not known whether gallium nitrate passes into breast milk. However, this medicine is not recommended for use during breast-feeding, because it may cause unwanted effects in nursing babies.

Children—Studies on this medicine have been done only in adult patients, and there is no specific information comparing use of gallium nitrate in children with use in other age groups.

Older adults—Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults. Although there is no specific information comparing use of gallium nitrate in the elderly with use in other age groups, this medicine is not expected to cause different side effects or problems in older people than it does in younger adults.

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. When you are taking gallium nitrate, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:

• Anti-infectives by mouth or by injection (medicine for infection) or
• Cisplatin (e.g., Platinol) or
• Combination pain medicine containing acetaminophen and aspirin (e.g., Excedrin) or other salicylates (with large amounts taken regularly) or
• Cyclosporine (e.g., Sandimmune) or
• Deferoxamine (e.g., Desferal) (with long-term use) or
• Gold salts (medicine for arthritis) or
• Lithium (e.g., Lithane) or
• Methotrexate (e.g., Mexate) or
• Penicillamine (e.g., Cuprimine)—Use with gallium nitrate may cause or worsen kidney problems

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

• Kidney disease—Gallium nitrate may make this condition worse