Ustekinumab (injection route)
About this medication
Ustekinumab injection is used to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in patients who may benefit from receiving phototherapy (ultraviolet light treatment) or other treatments. This medicine may be used alone or in combination with methotrexate to treat active psoriatic arthritis. Ustekinumab injection is also used to treat moderate to severely active Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription.
Before using this medication
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: 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. Appropriate studies have not been performed on the relationship of age to the effects of ustekinumab injection in children younger than 6 years of age totreat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Safety and efficacy have not been established. Appropriate studies have not been performed on the relationship of age to the effects of ustekinumab injection in the pediatric population totreat Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Safety and efficacy have not been established. Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of ustekinumab injection in the elderly. 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. 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:
How to use this medication
A nurse or other trained health professional will give you this medicine. It is given through an IV catheter that is placed into one of your veins or as a shot under your skin, usually on the upper arms, buttocks, stomach, or thighs. Ustekinumab injection may sometimes be given at home to patients who do not need to be in the hospital or clinic. If you are using this medicine at home, your doctor or nurse will teach you how to prepare and inject the medicine. Be sure that you understand how to use the medicine. This medicine comes with a Medication Guide and patient instructions. Read and follow the instructions carefully. Ask your doctor if you have any questions. You will be shown the body areas where this shot can be given. Use a different body area each time you give yourself a shot. Keep track of where you give each shot to make sure you rotate body areas. This will help prevent skin problems from the injections. Do not inject into skin areas that are tender, red, bruised, or hard. To use theprefilled syringe: To use thevial for subcutaneous use: You might not use all of the medicine in each vial or prefilled syringe. Use each vial or prefilled syringe only one time. Do not save an open vial or syringe. The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so. The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine. This medicine needs to be given on a fixed schedule. If you miss a dose or forget to use your medicine, call your doctor or pharmacist for instructions. Keep out of the reach of children. Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed. Ask your healthcare professional how you should dispose of any medicine you do not use. Store in the refrigerator. Do not freeze. Keep the medicine in the original carton until you are ready to use it. Store thevialsin an upright position. If needed, you may store theprefilled syringeat room temperature for up to 30 days. Do not put it back in the refrigerator. Throw away unused medicine after 30 days. Do not reuse syringes and needles. Put used syringes and needles in a puncture-resistant disposable container, or dispose of them as directed by your doctor.
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