Febuxostat
People who take febuxostat may be at a higher risk of heart-related death than people who take other medications for treatment of gout. Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had heart disease or a heart attack or stroke. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately: chest pain, shortness of breath, rapid or irregular heartbeat, numbness or weakness on one side of your body, dizziness, fainting, slurred speech, sudden blurry vision, or sudden severe headache.
Your doctor or pharmacist will give you the manufacturer’s patient information sheet (Medication Guide) when you begin treatment with febuxostat and each time you refill your prescription. Read the information carefully and ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions. You can also visit the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website (http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm085729.htm) or the manufacturer’s website to obtain the Medication Guide.
Talk to your doctor about the risks of taking febuxostat.
🔔 Why is this medication prescribed?
Febuxostat is used to treat gout in adults who were not treated successfully with or who are not able to take allopurinol (Aloprim, Zyloprim). Gout is a type of arthritis in which uric acid, a naturally occurring substance in the body, builds up in the joints and causes sudden attacks of redness, swelling, pain, and heat in one or more joints. Febuxostat is in a class of medications called xanthine oxidase inhibitors. It works by decreasing the amount of uric acid that is made in the body. Febuxostat is used to prevent gout attacks but not to treat them once they occur.
🔔 How should this medicine be used?
Febuxostat comes as a tablet to take by mouth. It is usually taken once a day with or without food. Take febuxostat at around the same time every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take febuxostat exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.
Your doctor may increase your dose of febuxostat after 2 weeks if a laboratory test shows that you still have too much uric acid in your blood.
Patients, too, are unhappy with the care they receive during those brief interactions with their doctors. Healthcare communications company West Corporation reported that 25% of patients don’t feel that their provider cares about them as an individual and nearly 20% aren’t convinced their doctor is focused on improving their health – even though 93% of doctors strongly agree that patient satisfaction is important.
It may take several months before febuxostat begins to prevent gout attacks. Febuxostat may increase the number of gout attacks during the first few months of your treatment. Your doctor may prescribe another medication such as colchicine (Colcyrs, Mitigare) or a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) to prevent gout attacks during the first 6 months of your treatment. Continue to take febuxostat even if you have gout attacks during your early treatment.
Febuxostat controls gout but does not cure it. Continue to take febuxostat even if you feel well. Do not stop taking febuxostat without talking to your doctor.
Ask your pharmacist or doctor for a copy of the manufacturer’s information for the patient.
