Remodulin

Remodulin is a prescription medication used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). It is also used to switch those taking Flolan (epoprostenol) to Remodulin. This medication belongs to a group of drugs called vasodilators, which help to relax the blood vessels within and around the lungs. This helps increase your ability to breathe, especially during exercise. It also acts as a blood thinner, which decreases the chance of a blood clot.

This medication is available in an injectable form to be given directly into a vein (IV) or just under the skin (subcutaneously) by a healthcare professional.

Common side effects of Remodulin injectable include diarrhea, jaw pain, and pain at the site of injection. It can also cause dizziness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how Remodulin affects you.

Remodulin is a prescription medication used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension. It is also used to switch those taking Flolan (epoprostenol) to Remodulin. 

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

• United Therapeutics Corporation

Serious side effects have been reported with Remodulin.

Common side effects of Remodulin injectable include the following:

• pain at site of injection
• headache
• diarrhea
• nausea
• jaw pain
• dizziness
• body swelling
• itching
• low blood pressure

This is not a complete list of Remodulin side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:

• diuretics such as
  • acetazolamide (Diamox)
  • amiloride (Midamor)
  • bumetanide (Bumex)
  • chlorothiazide (Diuril)
  • chlorthalidone (Thalitone)
  • ethacrynic acid (Edecrin)
  • furosemide (Lasix)
  • hydrochlorothiazide (Microzide, HCTZ)
  • metolazone (Zaroxolyn)
  • torsemide (Demadex)
  • triamterene (Dyrenium, Dyazide, Maxzide)
• angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) blockers such as
  • benazepril (Lotensin, Lotensin HCT)
  • captopril (Capoten, Capozide)
  • enalapril (Vasotec, Vaseretic)
  • fosinopril (Monopril, Monopril HCT)
  • lisinopril (Prinivil, Prinzide, Zestril, Zestoretic)
  • moexipril (Univasc, Uniretic)
  • quinapril (Accupril, Accuretic, Quinaretic)
  • ramipril (Altace)
  • trandolapril (Mavik, Tarka)
• angiotensin receptor II blockers such as
  • azilsartan (Edarbi)
  • candesartan (Atacand)
  • irbesartan (Avapro)
  • losartan (Cozaar)
  • olmesartan (Benicar)
  • telmisartan (Micardis, Twynsta)
  • valsartan (Diovan)
• beta blockers such as
  • metoprolol (Toprol XL, Lopressor)
  • carvedilol (Coreg)
  • bisoprolol (Zebeta)
  • betaxolol (Kerlone)
  • nebivolol (Bystolic)
  • propranolol (Inderal)
• calcium channel blockers such as
• nifedipine (Adalat, Nifedical, Procardia)
• amlodipine (Norvasc)
• verapamil (Calan, Isoptin, Covera, Verelan)
• diltiazem (Cardizem)
• vasodilators such as
  • doxazosin (Cardura)
  • prazosin (Minipress)
  • terazosin (Hytrin)
  • clonidine (Catapres)
  • hydralazine (Bidil, Hydra-Zide)
  • minoxidil

• medications that affect your platelets such as clopidogrel (Plavix), aspirin, prasugrel (Effient), ticagrelor (Brilinta), ticlopidine (Ticlid), abciximab (ReoPro), eptifibatide (Integrilin), tirofiban (Aggrastat), and cilostazol (Pletal)
• anticoagulant (blood thinner) medications such as warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven), heparin, enoxaparin (Lovenox), fondaparinux (Arixtra), rivaroxaban (Xarelto), and apixaban (Eliquis) 
• alcohol

This is not a complete list of all drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Serious side effects have been reported with this medication, and certain precautions should be followed:

• Long-term (chronic) infusions of Remodulin injectable are delivered using a central venous catheter. This catheter is a long, soft, thin, hollow 
  tube that is placed into a large vein. There is an increased risk of blood stream infections and sepsis (widespread inflammation of the body). This could be fatal if it occurs.
• This medication can cause dizziness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how Remodulin affects you.
• Do not take this medication if you are allergic to it or to any of the inactive ingredients.

Medications can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of this medication, there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving this medication.

Before receiving Remodulin, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions. Especially tell your doctor if you:

• are allergic to Remodulin or to any of the inactive ingredients
• have liver problems
• have kidney problems
• have diverticulosis
• have low blood pressure or high blood pressure
• have had a stroke
• have stomach ulcers
• are pregnant or are breastfeeding

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

This medication falls into category B. In animal studies, pregnant animals were given this medication and had some babies born with problems. No well-controlled studies have been done in humans. Therefore, this medication may be used if the potential benefits to the mother outweigh the potential risks to the unborn child.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

Remodulin injectable is infused continuously through a subcutaneous (under the skin) or surgically placed indwelling central venous catheter

Therapy with this medication will be needed for prolonged periods, possibly years.

In order to reduce the risk of infection, proper technique must be used.

The recommended starting dose dose for those new to prostacyclin infusion therapy: 1.25 ng/kg/minute (or 0.625 ng/kg/minute if not tolerated). Your dose may be increased according to response to therapy and/or adverse effects.

If this medication is administered by a healthcare provider in a medical setting, it is unlikely that an overdose will occur. However, if overdose is suspected, seek emergency medical attention.