Conivaptan, Injection

What are other names for this medicine?

Type of medicine: arginine vasopressin (AVP) antagonist

Generic and brand names: conivaptan, injection; Vaprisol

What is this medicine used for?

This medicine is given by intravenous injection (IV) to treat euvolemic hyponatremia (too little sodium in the blood).

What should my healthcare provider know before I take this medicine?

Before taking this medicine, tell your healthcare provider if you have ever had:

• an allergic reaction to any medicine
• heart failure
• kidney or liver disease

Females of childbearing age: Tell your healthcare provider if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known whether this medicine will harm an unborn baby. Do not breast-feed while taking this medicine without your healthcare provider's approval.

How do I use it?

A healthcare provider will give you this medicine in the hospital.

What should I watch out for?

You will be watched very closely after you receive this medicine. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any pain or redness at the site of the infusion.

You may feel dizzy or faint when you get up quickly after sitting or lying down. Getting up slowly may help.

What are the possible side effects?

Along with its needed effects, your medicine may cause some unwanted side effects. Some side effects may be very serious. Some side effects may go away as your body adjusts to the medicine. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that continue or get worse.

Serious (report these to your healthcare provider right away): Chest pain; irregular or pounding heartbeat; swelling in hands, feet, or ankles; severe headache.

Other: Swelling, itching, redness, and pain at site of injection; headache; diarrhea; constipation; nausea; vomiting; increased thirst; dry mouth; increased urination; dizziness, trouble sleeping.

What products might interact with this medicine?

When you take this medicine with other medicines, it can change the way this or any of the other medicines work. Nonprescription medicines, vitamins, natural remedies, and certain foods may also interact. Using these products together might cause harmful side effects. Talk to your healthcare provider if you are taking:

• antiarrhythmics (medicines to treat irregular heartbeat) such as amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone) and quinidine
• antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), clarithromycin (Biaxin), erythromycin (Ery-Tabs, E.E.S.), isoniazid (Nydrazid), metronidazole (Flagyl), telithromycin (Ketek), rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane), and norfloxacin (Noroxin)
• antidepressants such as fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem), fluvoxamine (Luvox), nefazodone, sertraline (Zoloft), mirtazapine (Remeron), and paroxetine (Paxil)
• antifungal medicines such as fluconazole (Diflucan), clotrimazole (Mycelex), itraconazole (Sporanox), ketoconazole (Nizoral), voriconazole (VFEND), and miconazole (Monistat, Micatin)
• anti-HIV medicines such as amprenavir (Agenerase), atazanavir (Reyataz), indinavir (Crixivan), nelfinavir (Viracept), nevirapine (Viramune), delavirdine (Rescriptor), ritonavir (Norvir), and saquinavir (Fortovase, Invirase)
• antiseizure medicines such as carbamazepine (Tegretol), phenobarbital, phenytoin (Dilantin), and primidone (Mysoline)
• benzodiazepines such as alprazolam (Xanax), diazepam (Valium), triazolam (Halcion), chlordiazepoxide (Librium), lorazepam (Ativan), and midazolam (Versed)
• calcium channel blockers such as nifedipine (Procardia, Adalat), felodipine (Plendil), amlodipine (Norvasc), diltiazem (Cardizem, Dilacor), and verapamil (Calan, Isoptin)
• cholesterol-lowering medicines (statins) such as atorvastatin (Lipitor), lovastatin (Mevacor), rosuvastatin (Crestor), and simvastatin (Zocor)
• digoxin (Lanoxin)
• immunosuppressants such as cyclosporine (Sandimmune, Neoral, Gengraf), sirolimus (Rapamune), and tacrolimus (Prograf, Protopic)

The effects of this medicine may be increased if you drink a lot of grapefruit juice. Talk with your healthcare provider about this.

Keep a list of all your medicines with you. List all the prescription medicines, nonprescription medicines, supplements, natural remedies, and vitamins that you take. Be sure that you tell all healthcare providers who treat you about all the products you are taking.

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This advisory includes selected information only and may not include all side effects of this medicine or interactions with other medicines. Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for more information or if you have any questions.

Keep all medicines out of the reach of children.

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Published by RelayHealth.
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