Before Using

Drug information provided by: Merative, Micromedex®

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 this medicine, the following should be considered:

Allergies

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric

Studies of this medicine have been done only in adult patients, and there is no specific information comparing the use of bexarotene in children with use in other age groups.

Geriatric

This medicine has been tested in patients 60 years of age or older and has not been shown to cause different side effects or problems in older people than it does in younger adults. However, elderly patients may be more sensitive to the effects of bexarotene.

Drug Interactions

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 this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

  • Chlortetracycline
  • Demeclocycline
  • Desogestrel
  • Dienogest
  • Doxycycline
  • Drospirenone
  • Efavirenz
  • Eravacycline
  • Estradiol
  • Ethinyl Estradiol
  • Ethynodiol
  • Etonogestrel
  • Gemfibrozil
  • Gestodene
  • Levoketoconazole
  • Levonorgestrel
  • Lymecycline
  • Meclocycline
  • Medroxyprogesterone
  • Mestranol
  • Methacycline
  • Methotrexate
  • Minocycline
  • Nomegestrol
  • Norelgestromin
  • Norethindrone
  • Norgestimate
  • Norgestrel
  • Omadacycline
  • Oxytetracycline
  • Paclitaxel
  • Palovarotene
  • Rolitetracycline
  • Sarecycline
  • Segesterone
  • Tetracycline
  • Tigecycline
  • Ulipristal

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines may cause an increased risk of certain side effects, but using both drugs may be the best treatment for you. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

  • Atorvastatin
  • Erythromycin
  • Fosphenytoin
  • Ketoconazole
  • Phenobarbital
  • Phenytoin
  • Rifampin
  • Vitamin A

Other Interactions

Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using this medicine with any of the following may cause an increased risk of certain side effects but may be unavoidable in some cases. If used together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use this medicine, or give you special instructions about the use of food, alcohol, or tobacco.

  • Grapefruit Juice

Other Medical Problems

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

  • Bone marrow depression, existing or
  • Infection—There may be an increased risk of infections or worsening of infections because of the body's reduced ability to fight them
  • Cataracts—May cause new cataracts or worsen previous cataracts
  • Chickenpox (including recent exposure) or
  • Herpes zoster (shingles)—Risk of severe disease affecting other parts of the body
  • Diabetes mellitus—May be more likely to experience low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).
  • High cholesterol—Bexarotene can cause an increase in cholesterol levels.
  • Kidney disease—May increase the chance of side effects
  • Liver disease—Effects of bexarotene may be increased because of slower removal from the body.
  • Pancreatitis or
  • Risk factors for pancreatitis, such as:
    • Drinking large quantities of alcohol or
    • Problems with your gallbladder or biliary tract or
    • Type 2 diabetes mellitus that is not well-controlled or
    • High cholesterol that is not well-controlled or
    • Taking medicines that cause high levels of triglycerides (fat-like substances) or
    • Taking medicines that are toxic to the pancreas or
    • Prior pancreatitis—Bexarotene can cause an increase in triglyceride levels which can cause inflammation of the pancreas.
  • Photosensitivity—Bexarotene may cause increased sensitivity of the skin to sunlight