Gallium nitrate is used to lower blood levels of calcium when they have become dangerously
high in cancer patients.
Gallium nitrate may also be used for purposes other than those listed in this medication guide.
What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking gallium nitrate?
You should not use this medication if you are allergic to gallium nitrate, or if you have severe
kidney disease.
Before receiving gallium nitrate, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs, if you have heart
disease, or if you take diuretics (water pills). If you have any of these conditions, you may need dosage
adjustments or special tests during treatment.
FDA pregnancy category C. This medication may be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell your
doctor if you are pregnant before you receive gallium nitrate.
It is not known whether gallium nitrate passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing
baby. Do not receive this medication before telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
How should I take gallium nitrate?
Gallium nitrate is given as an injection through a needle placed into a vein. You will receive this
injection in a hospital or emergency setting.
Gallium nitrate must be given as an IV infusion around the clock for up to 5 days, or until blood
calcium levels are lowered to a safe level.
During your treatment with gallium nitrate, you may also need to be put on IV fluids to keep you
from getting dehydrated.
To be sure this medication is helping your condition, your blood and urine will need to be tested
often. This will help your doctor determine how long to treat you with gallium nitrate.
What happens if I miss a dose of gallium nitrate?
Since gallium nitrate is given by a healthcare provider, it is not likely that you will miss a dose.
Where can I get more information about gallium nitrate?
Your pharmacist has information about gallium nitrate written for health professionals that you may read.
What are the possible side effects of gallium nitrate?
Get emergency medical help if you have any of these
signs of an allergic
reaction:
hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Tell your caregivers right away if you have any of these serious side effects:
increased thirst, swelling in your lower legs;
urinating less than usual or not at all;
pale skin, easy bruising or bleeding;
blurred vision, headache or pain behind your eyes;
confusion, hallucinations;
noisy breathing, feeling short of breath;
Less serious side effects may include:
nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation;
tired feeling;
feeling hot or cold;
numbness or tingling; or
fast heart rate.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Tell your
doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
What is the most important information I should know about gallium nitrate?
Before receiving gallium nitrate, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs, if you have heart
disease, or if you take diuretics (water pills). If you have any of these conditions, you may need dosage
adjustments or special tests during treatment.
Many other drugs can damage the kidneys and should not be used together with gallium nitrate.
Tell your doctor if you are receiving chemotherapy, taking an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
drug) pain medicine, or using medicines used to treat a bowel disorder, medications to prevent organ
transplant rejection, antiviral medications, or any injected antibiotics.
Gallium nitrate must be given as an IV infusion around the clock for up to 5 days, or until blood
calcium levels are lowered to a safe level.
During your treatment with gallium nitrate, you may also need to be put on IV fluids to keep you
from getting dehydrated.
To be sure this medication is helping your condition, your blood and urine will need to be tested
often. This will help your doctor determine how long to treat you with gallium nitrate.
What should I avoid while taking gallium nitrate?
Follow your doctor's instructions about any restrictions on food, beverages, or activity after you
receive gallium nitrate.
What other drugs will affect gallium nitrate?
Before receiving gallium nitrate, tell your doctor if you are using any of the following drugs:
cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune);
a steroid such as prednisone;
lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid);
methotrexate (Rheumatrex, Trexal);
pain or arthritis medicines such as aspirin (Anacin,
Excedrin), acetaminophen (Tylenol), diclofenac (Voltaren), etodolac (Lodine), ibuprofen (Advil,
Motrin), indomethacin (Indocin), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), and others;
medicines used to treat a ulcerative colitis, such as
mesalamine (Pentasa) or sulfasalazine (Azulfidine);
medicines used to prevent organ transplant rejection, such
as tacrolimus (Prograf);
IV antibiotics such as amphotericin B (Fungizone,
AmBisome, Amphotec, Abelcet), amikacin (Amikin), bacitracin (Baci-IM), capreomycin
(Capastat), gentamicin (Garamycin), kanamycin (Kantrex), streptomycin, or vancomycin
(Vancocin, Vancoled);
antiviral medicines such as adefovir (Hepsera), cidofovir
(Vistide), or foscarnet (Foscavir); or
cancer medicine such as aldesleukin (Proleukin),
carmustine (BiCNU, Gliadel), cisplatin (Platinol), ifosfamide (Ifex), oxaliplatin (Eloxatin),
plicamycin (Mithracin), streptozocin (Zanosar), or tretinoin (Vesanoid).
Many of these other drugs can damage the kidneys If you are using any of
these drugs, you may not be able to receive gallium nitrate, or you may need dosage adjustments or
special tests during treatment.
This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with gallium nitrate. Tell
your doctor about all your prescription and over-the-counter medications, vitamins, minerals, herbal
products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors.
What happens if I have an overdose of gallium nitrate?
Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share
your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.
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up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum
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warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does
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drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any
given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information
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interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse
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Content provided by Multum - Last Updated 11/10/2009