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

Alprostadil injection is not indicated for use in newborns and should not be used in children.

Geriatric

Although appropriate studies on the relationship of age to the effects of alprostadil injection have not been performed in the geriatric population, no geriatric-specific problems have been documented to date. However, elderly patients are more likely to have age-related kidney problems, which may require caution and an adjustment in the dose for patients receiving this medicine.

Breastfeeding

There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding.

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.

  • Heparin

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. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco.

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:

  • Abnormal penis, including curved penis and birth defects of the penis or
  • Heart or blood vessel disease or
  • Leukemia (blood related cancer) or
  • Multiple myeloma (blood related cancer) or
  • Priapism (prolonged erection) or
  • Sickle cell anemia (blood disorder) or
  • Sickle cell trait—Chance of problems occurring may be increased and this medicine should be used with caution in these patients.
  • Bleeding problems—Chance of bleeding at the injection site may be increased.
  • Kidney disease—Use with caution. The effects may be increased because of slower removal of the medicine from the body.
  • Priapism, history of—Patients with these conditions have an increased risk of priapism (erection lasting longer than 6 hours) while using alprostadil.

Portions of this document last updated: Feb. 01, 2024

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