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VIOKACE is a brand name for Lipase, supplied as a tablet. The medicine, its uses, side effects and dosage are the same regardless of brand.
Used for: AND CLINICAL USE......................................................................... 3 CONTRAINDICATIONS............................................................................................. 4 WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS ............................................................................ 4 ADVERSE…
Verbatim from this product's HC label. Tap a section to expand.
Serious Warning and Precautions A rare bowel condition called ʺfibrosing colonopathyʺ, where your gut is narrowed, has been reported in patients with cystic fibrosis taking high doses of pancreatic enzymes. As a precaution, consult your doctor if you experience any unusual abdominal symptoms or any change in abdominal symptoms, especially if you are taking more than 10,000 units of lipase/kg body weight/day or more than 4,000 units of lipase/gram fat intake.
Talk to your doctor about all the drugs you are taking before taking VIOKACE. Talk to your doctor before taking this medicine if you are pregnant, might become pregnant, or are breast -feeding. Your doctor will decide if you should take VIOKACE and at which dose.
Potential Viral Exposure from the Product Source:
The pancreas glands used to make VIOKACE and other pancreatic enzyme products come from pigs used for food. These pigs may carry viruses. When VIOKACE is made several steps are taken to reduce the risk of viruses being spread, including their destruction and testing for specific viruses.
The risk of infections caused by these or other unknown or novel viruses cannot be totally ruled out. However, there have not been any cases reported where infection of patients has occurred. BEFORE you use VIOKACE talk to your doctor or pharmacist if: • You are allergic to pork (pigs) products • You have a history of intestinal blockage of your intestines or scarring or thickening of your bowel wall (fibrosing colonopa thy) • You have any other medical conditions • You are pregnant or might become pregnant • You are breast-feeding or plan to breast-feed INTERACTIONS WITH THIS MEDICATION There are no known drug interactions with VIOKACE.
Before taking VIOKACE tablets make sure you tell your doctor and pharmacist all the medications (including those wi thout prescription) you are taking. PROPER USE OF THIS MEDICATION Take VIOKACE tablets exactly as your doctor tells you.
Do not switch VIOKACE with any other pancreatic enzyme product without first talking to your doctor. Always take VIOKACE with a meal or a snack and enough liquid to swallow VIOKACE completely. This will allow the enzymes to mix thoroughly with the food and digest it as it passes through the gut.
If you eat a lot of meals or snacks in a day, be careful not to go over your total daily dose.
Not medical advice. Always read the patient information leaflet and follow your prescriber or pharmacist.
Other brands of Lipase in Canada.
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Brand names are compiled from public regulatory records for active-ingredient mapping only. Drugvu is not affiliated with any manufacturer. This is not medical advice.
Usual dose:
Your dose is measured in ‘lipase units’. Lipase is one of the enzymes in VIOKACE. Different strengths of pancreatic enzymes may contain different amounts of lipase. Your doctor should also prescribe a medicine for you called a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) to decrease stomach acid.
VIOKACE should be taken with a PPI to help prevent VIOKACE from breaking down in your stomach.
IMPORTANT:
PLEASE READ VIOKACETM – Pancrelipase Tablets Page 15 of 17 Your doctor will adjust your dose to suit you. It will depend on: • your illness • your weight • your diet • how much fat is in your stools Always take VIOKACE tablets with enough liquid to swallow the whole tablets.
Do not take VIOKACE if you cannot swallow the tablets whole. Do not mix with food or crush or chew the tablets. Be careful to make sure that no VIOKACE is left in your mouth. Crushing, chewing or holding the VIOKACE tablets in your mouth may cause irritation in your mouth, or change the way VIOKACE works in your body.
If you still have fatty stools or other stomach or gut problems (gastrointestinal symptoms), talk to your doctor as your dose may need to be adjusted. The usual starting dose is 500 lipase units per kilogram body weight per meal. Usually, half the starting dose is given with snacks.
The maximum dose is 2,500 lipase units per kilogram body weight per meal (or less than or equal to 10,000 lipase units/kg body weight per day), or less than 4,000 lipase units/g fat ingested per day.
Overdose:
In case of drug overdose, contact a health care practitioner, hospital emergency department or regional Poison Control Centre immediately, even if there are no symptoms. If you know or suspect that you have taken more of this product than you normally do, or notice any unusual symptoms, contact your doctor or nearest hospital emergency department immediately.
Ensure that you are adequately hydrated during this time by drinking plenty of fluids. Extremely high doses of pancreatic enzymes have sometimes caused too much uric acid in the urine (hyperu ricosuria) and in the blood (hyperuricaemia).
Missed Dose:
If a dose of this medication has been missed, take your next dose at the usual time, with your next meal. Do not try to make up for the dose that you have missed. SIDE EFFECTS AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT THEM Like all medicines, VIOKACE can cause side effects, a lthough not everybody gets them.
The following side effects were seen during studies in patients taking VIOKACE. SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS, HOW OFTEN THEY HAPPEN AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT THEM Symptom / effect Talk with your doctor or pharmacist Stop taking drug and call your doctor or pharmacistOnly if severe In all cases Common Abdominal pain √ Rash √ IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ VIOKACETM – Pancrelipase Tablets Page 16 of 17 SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS, HOW OFTEN THEY HAPPEN AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT THEM Symptom / effect Talk with your doctor or pharmacist Stop taking drug and call your doctor or pharmacistOnly if severe In all cases Unknown Hypersensitivi ty (allergic reaction) √ Urticaria √ This is not a complete list of side effects.
For any unexpected effects while taking VIOKACE, contact your doctor or pharmacist. Tell your healthcare professional if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. HOW TO STORE IT Keep out of reach of children.
Keep VIOKACE in a dry place and in its original container. Store VIOKACE in a dry place. Do not store above 25°C.. Protect from heat and moisture. Do not refrigerate or freeze. After opening the bottle, keep it closed tightly between uses to protect from moisture.
The VIOKACE bottle contains a desiccant packet to help keep your medicine […]