Pentamidine Injection

Pentamidine injection is used to treat pneumonia caused by a fungus called Pneumocystis carinii. It is in a class of medications called antiprotozoals. It works by stopping the growth of protozoa that can cause pneumonia.

🔔 How should this medicine be used?

Pentamidine injection comes as powder to be mixed with liquid to be injected intramuscularly (into a muscle) or intravenously (into a vein) by a doctor or nurse in a medical facility. If it is given intravenously, then it is usually given as a slow infusion over 60 to 120 minutes. The length of treatment depends on the type of infection being treated.

A doctor or nurse will watch you closely while you are receiving the infusion and afterwards to be sure you are not having a serious reaction to the medication. You should be lying down while you receive the medication. Tell your doctor or nurse right away if have any of the following symptoms: dizziness or lightheaded feeling, nausea, blurred vision; cold, clammy, pale skin; or rapid, shallow breathing.

You should begin to feel better during the first 2 to 8 days of treatment with pentamidine. If your symptoms do not improve or get worse, call your doctor.

🔔 Other uses for this medicine

This medication may be prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

🔔 What special precautions should I follow?

Before receiving pentamidine injection,

• tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to pentamidine, any other medications, or any of the ingredients in pentamidine injection. Ask your pharmacist for a list of the ingredients.
• tell your doctor and pharmacist what other prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking or plan to take. Be sure to mention any of the following: aminoglycoside antibiotics such as amikacin, gentamicin, or tobramycin; amphotericin B (Abelcet, Ambisome), cisplatin, foscarnet (Foscavir), or vancomycin (Vancocin). Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects.
• tell your doctor if you have or have ever had high or low blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, a low number of red or white blood cells or platelets, a low level of calcium in your blood, Stevens-Johnson syndrome (a severe allergic reaction that may cause the top layer of skin to blister and shed), hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) diabetes, pancreatitis (swelling of the pancreas that does not go away), or liver or kidney disease.
• tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. If you become pregnant while receiving pentamidine injection, call your doctor.

🔔 What special dietary instructions should I follow?

Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, continue your normal diet.

What makes healthcare so expensive in America? Rather than mere overuse of medical services, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that the high cost of medical treatments and procedures is what makes healthcare expenditures twice as costly in the U.S. than in other wealthy countries, The Washington Post