Dinoprostone
Dinoprostone is used to prepare the cervix for labor induction in pregnant women at or near term. This medication is sometimes prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
🔔 How should this medicine be used?
Dinoprostone comes as a vaginal insert and gel inserted high into the vagina. It is administered using a syringe by a health professional in a hospital or clinic setting. After the dose has been issued, you should remain lying down for up to 2 hours as directed by your physician. A second gel dose may be administered in 6 hours if the first dose does not produce the desired response.
🔔 What special precautions should I follow?
Before taking dinoprostone,
- tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to dinoprostone or any other drugs.
- tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications you take, including vitamins.
- tell your doctor if you have or have ever had asthma; anemia; a cesarean section or any other uterine surgery; diabetes; high or low blood pressure; placenta previa; a seizure disorder; six or more previous term pregnancies; glaucoma or increased pressure in the eye; cephalopelvic disproportion; previous difficult or traumatic deliveries; unexplained vaginal bleeding; or heart, liver, or kidney disease.
🔔 What side effects can this medication cause?
Side effects from dinoprostone are not common, but they can occur. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:
- upset stomach
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- dizziness
- Flushing of the skin
- headache
- fever
If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:
- unpleasant vaginal discharge
- continued fever
- chills and shivering
- increase in vaginal bleeding several days after treatment
- chest pain or tightness
- skin rash
- hives
- difficulty breathing
- unusual swelling of the face
If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor may send a report to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online (http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch) or by phone (1-800-332-1088).
🔔 What should I know about the storage and disposal of this medication?
Dinoprostone gel should be stored in a refrigerator. The inserts should be stored in a freezer. Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children.
🔔 What other information should I know?
Keep all appointments with your doctor. Do not let anyone else use your medication.
One of the most important and most popular changes to the health insurance landscape brought about by the passing of the Affordable Care Act was the prohibition against denying patients health insurance, or charging them more, if they had preexisting conditions. Research shows that 27% of Americans in the 18 to 64 age group have what would have been considered a “declinable medical condition” before the Affordable Care Act took effect, and in some regions, the percentage of patients with preexisting conditions rises to nearly four in 10, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
You need to keep a written list of all the prescription and nonprescription (over-the-counter) medicines you are taking and any products such as vitamins, minerals, or other dietary supplements. You should bring this list with you each time you visit a doctor or if you are admitted to a hospital. It is also important information to carry with you in case of emergencies.
🔔 Brand names
- Cervidil ®
- Prepidil ®
- Prostin E2 ®
