Penicillamine
Description
Penicillamine is an antirheumatic medicine used in the treatment of Wilson's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and cystinuria. This medicine should not be used in patients with kidney diseases due to the increased risk of further kidney damage in such patients.
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Side effects
Major & minor side effects for Penicillamine
- Fever
- Joint pain
- Diarrhea
- Swelling of face, feet, or lower legs
- Nausea or Vomiting
- Skin rash, hives, or itching
- Swollen and/or painful glands
Uses of Penicillamine
What is it prescribed for?
- Wilson's disease
- Cystinuria
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
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Concerns
Commonly asked questions
- Onset of actionThe average time this medicine takes to show its effect is 1 to 3 months.
- Duration of effectThe amount of time the medicine remains active in the body is not clinically established.
- Safe with alcohol?Interaction with alcohol is unknown. It is advisable to consult your doctor before consumption.
- Is it habit forming?No habit forming tendency has been reported.
- Usage in pregnancy?This medicine is not recommended for use in pregnant women unless absolutely necessary. The risks and benefits should be discussed with the doctor before taking this medicine.
- Usage while breast-feeding?This medicine is not recommended for use in breastfeeding women unless necessary. The risks and benefits should be discussed with the doctor before taking this medicine.
Allergy
This medicine is not recommended for use in patients with a known history of allergy to Penicillamine.
Penicillamine-related aplastic anemia or agranulocytosis
It is not advised to use this medicine in patients with a known history of Penicillamine related aplastic anemia or agranulocytosis due to an increased risk of serious side effects.
Warnings for special population
Pregnancy
This medicine is not recommended for use in pregnant women unless absolutely necessary. The risks and benefits should be discussed with the doctor before taking this medicine.
Breast-feeding
This medicine is not recommended for use in breastfeeding women unless necessary. The risks and benefits should be discussed with the doctor before taking this medicine.
General warnings
Penicillamine related aplastic anemia
This medicine is not recommended for use in patients with a known history of Aplastic anemia due to an increase in the risk of serious adverse effects. Discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor before taking this medicine. Replacement with a suitable alternative might be required based on the clinical condition.
Renal insufficiency
This medicine is not recommended for use in patients with a history of kidney disease or active kidney disease due to an increase in the risk of serious adverse effects. Discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor before taking this medicine. Replacement with a suitable alternative might be required based on the clinical condition.
Missed Dose
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. Skip the missed dose if it is almost the time for your next scheduled dose. Do not double the medicine to make up for the missed dose.
Overdose
Seek emergency medical treatment or contact the doctor in case of an overdose.
All drugs interact differently for person to person. You should check all the possible interactions with your doctor before starting any medicine.
Interaction with Alcohol
Description
Interaction with alcohol is unknown. It is advisable to consult your doctor before consumption.
Instructions
Interaction with alcohol is unknown. It is advisable to consult your doctor before consumption.
Interaction with Medicine
Clozapine
Ferrous Combination
Leflunomide
Digoxin
Disease interactions
Bone marrow suppression
This medicine is not recommended for use in patients with a history of Penicillamine related aplastic anemia or agranulocytosis due to an increased risk of serious side effects. Your doctor may prescribe an alternative medicine based on your clinical condition.
Renal Dysfunction
This medicine is not recommended for use in patients with a history of kidney diseases or active kidney diseases due to an increased risk of serious adverse effects. You may require more frequent clinical monitoring while taking this medicine to avoid these side effects. Replacement with a suitable alternative might be required in some cases based on the clinical condition.
Food interactions
The desired effect of Penicillamine will not be achieved if it is taken together with multivitamins with minerals. It is recommended that you take this medicine before or after 2 hours of a dose of multivitamins with minerals. Report any undesired symptoms to the doctor on priority. Replacement with a suitable alternative might be required in some cases based on the clinical condition. Do not stop the use of any medicine without consulting your doctor.
The desired effect of Penicillamine will not be achieved if it is taken together with food. It is recommended that you take this medicine 1 hour before or 2 hours after consumption of food for optimal effect. Do not consume this medicine with dairy products or any other medicines. Follow all the directions given by your doctor. Do not stop the use of any medicine without consulting your doctor.
Lab interactions
Information not available.
Miscelleneous
How it works
In Wilson's disease, this medicine works by removing excess copper in the blood. In cystinuria, it binds to cystine and the cystine-penicillamine complex is much more soluble than cystine. This helps in prevention of kidney stones. In rheumatoid arthritis, this medicine markedly lowers a specific disease causing factor and helps in reducing the disease activity.
Legal Status
Classification
Category
Antirheumatics
Schedule
Schedule H
DailyMed - CUPRIMINE- penicillamine capsule [Internet]. Dailymed.nlm.nih.gov. 2017 [cited 17 July 2017]. Available from:
[Internet]. 2017 [cited 17 July 2017]. Available from:
Penicillamine - DrugBank [Internet]. Drugbank.ca. 2017 [cited 17 July 2017]. Available from:
Penicillamine: Indications, Side Effects, Warnings - Drugs.com [Internet]. Drugs.com. 2017 [cited 17 July 2017]. Available from:
Prescribing medicines in pregnancy database [Internet]. Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). 2017 [cited 17 July 2017]. Available from:
Information on this page was last updated on 20 Jul 2017
Disclaimer
We’ve made all possible efforts to ensure that the information provided here is accurate, up-to-date and complete, however, it should not be treated as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Practo only provides reference source for common information on medicines and does not guarantee its accuracy or exhaustiveness. The absence of a warning for any drug or combination thereof, should not be assumed to indicate that the drug or combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for any given patient. Practo does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information provided above. If you have any doubts about your medication then we strongly recommend that you consult with your doctor, nurse or healthcare provider. See detailed T&C here.