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

Appropriate studies have not been performed on the relationship of age to the effects of Pegintron® in children younger than 3 years of age. Safety and efficacy have not been established.

Appropriate studies have not been performed on the relationship of age to the effects of Sylatron™ in the pediatric population. Safety and efficacy have not been established.

Geriatric

Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of peginterferon alfa-2b injection in the elderly. However, elderly patients are likely to be more sensitive to the effects of this medicine, and 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 not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.

  • Thioridazine

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.

  • Amitriptyline
  • Anagrelide
  • Clomipramine
  • Desipramine
  • Donepezil
  • Doxepin
  • Doxorubicin
  • Flecainide
  • Imipramine
  • Methadone
  • Mexiletine
  • Nortriptyline
  • Perphenazine
  • Pimozide
  • Pirfenidone
  • Pomalidomide
  • Rasagiline
  • Ropivacaine
  • Tamoxifen
  • Theophylline
  • Tizanidine
  • Tramadol
  • Trimipramine
  • Warfarin

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.

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:

  • Allergic reactions (eg, anaphylaxis, bronchoconstriction, Stevens-Johnson syndrome) or
  • Autoimmune hepatitis (liver inflammation) or
  • Decompensated liver disease—Should not be used in patients with these conditions.
  • Angina (severe chest pain) or
  • Heart attack, history of or
  • Heart or blood vessel disease or
  • Heart rhythm problems (eg, arrhythmia, tachycardia), history of or
  • Hypotension (low blood pressure)—Use with caution. Patients with these conditions should be closely monitored while using this medicine.
  • Bone marrow problems (eg, aplastic anemia) or
  • Brain disease (eg, encephalopathy) or
  • Breathing problems or other lung diseases (eg, COPD, pneumonia, pulmonary infiltrates, sarcoidosis), or history of or
  • Depression or mental illness, history of or
  • Diabetes mellitus or
  • Diabetic retinopathy (eye problem caused by diabetes) or
  • Eye or vision problems (eg, retinopathy, optic neuritis) or
  • Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar level) or
  • Hypertensive retinopathy (eye problem caused by high blood pressure) or
  • Hypertriglyceridemia (high triglyceride levels or fats in the blood) or
  • Kidney disease or
  • Liver disease (including cirrhosis), severe or
  • Psoriasis or
  • Psychiatric problems, history of or
  • Rheumatoid arthritis or
  • Systemic lupus erythematosus or
  • Thyroid disease or
  • Type 1 diabetes—Use with caution. May make these conditions worse.
  • Colitis (inflammation of the bowel) or
  • Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)—Peginterferon alfa-2b should be stopped in patients with these conditions.
  • Heart disease (severe and unstable), or history of or
  • Kidney disease, severe or
  • Sickle cell anemia (red blood cell disorder) or
  • Thalassemia major (genetic blood disorder)—Peginterferon alfa-2b together with ribavirin should not be used in patients with these conditions.
  • Organ transplant (eg, liver)—Use of peginterferon alfa-2b alone or in combination with ribavirin has not been studied in patients with this condition.

Portions of this document last updated: March 01, 2024

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