Metyrapone (oral route)

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.

This medicine has been tested in children and has not been shown to cause different side effects or problems in children than it does in adults.

Although there is no specific information about the use of metyrapone in the elderly, it is not expected to cause different side effects or problems in older people than it does in younger adults.

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.

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.

• Tegafur

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.

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:

• Breast cancer or
• Type 2 diabetes mellitus or
• Heart disease or
• Liver disease or
• Low blood sugar or
• Thyroid disease—These conditions may cause false results in metyrapone testing and result in a wrong diagnosis

• Excessive body hair in females—Long-term use may increase growth of body hair

• Porphyria—Metyrapone may worsen active cases of porphyria

• Underactive adrenal or pituitary gland—Metyrapone may severely reduce the amount of certain hormones produced by the adrenal glands; these hormones are needed to respond to stress or illness

Rare (with long-term use)

• Irregular heartbeat

Less common

• Skin rash

Rare (usually with long-term use)

• Enlargement of clitoris
• muscle cramps or pain
• sore throat or fever
• swelling of feet or lower legs
• unusual bleeding or bruising
• unusual tiredness or weakness
• weight gain (rapid)

Symptoms of overdose

• Abdominal or stomach pain (severe)
• confusion
• decrease in consciousness
• diarrhea (severe)
• nausea (severe)
• nervousness
• unusual thirst
• vomiting (severe)
• weakness (sudden)