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 ketotifen, the following should be considered:

Allergies—Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to ketotifen. Also 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 you are on any special diet, such as a low-sugar diet. The syrup contains carbohydrates.

Pregnancy—Ketotifen has not been studied in pregnant women. However, studies in animals have shown that ketotifen crosses the placenta and, at high doses, cause problems. Before using this medicine, make sure your doctor knows if you are pregnant or if you may become pregnant.

Breast-feeding—It is not known whether ketotifen passes into human breast milk. However, it does pass into the milk of rats. It may be necessary for you to take another medicine or to stop breast-feeding during treatment. Be sure you have discussed the risks and benefits of the medicine with your doctor.

Children— This medicine has been tested in children and, in effective doses, has not been shown to cause different side effects or problems than it does in adults.

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 or if they cause different side effects or problems in older people. There is no specific information comparing use of ketotifen in the elderly with use in other age groups.

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 ketotifen, it is especially important that your health care professional knows if you are taking any of the following:

• Antidiabetic agents, oral—May increase the risk of bruising or bleeding and affect blood sugar concentrations

• Alcohol or
• Antihistamines or
• Hypnotics or
• Sedatives—May increase the chance of side effects (i.e., drowsiness)

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

• Diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes)—May alter low-sugar diet (syrup contains carbohydrates)

• Epilepsy—May increase risk of convulsions (seizures)