AURANOFIN - ORAL (Ridaura) side effects, medical uses, and drug interactions.

AURANOFIN-ORAL Index

auranofin - oral, Ridaura

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GENERIC NAME: AURANOFIN - ORAL (aw-RAN-o-fin)

BRAND NAME(S): Ridaura

WARNING: This medication can cause serious (sometimes fatal) side effects, including blood cell problems (e.g., anemia, low white blood cells/platelets), kidney problems, rash, itching, mouth sores/irritation (stomatitis), or persistent diarrhea. Low white blood cells can increase your risk of infection. See Side Effects section for more details. Tell your doctor immediately if you develop any of these side effects.

Your doctor will be closely monitoring certain lab tests (e.g., white blood cells, platelets) before you start therapy and before he or she prescribes refills of your prescription. It is important that you keep all medical/lab appointments

USES: This medication is used as part of a complete treatment program including non-drug therapies (e.g., rest, physical therapy) to treat active rheumatoid arthritis. It is used to treat patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis who have not responded to or cannot take other medications. Auranofin is a gold compound.Auranofin is not a true pain reliever (e.g., like aspirin) but it is thought to decrease pain that occurs with arthritis by decreasing inflammation. It is known as a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD). It decreases morning stiffness and pain/swelling in joints and can increase grip strength.

HOW TO USE: This medicine comes with a Patient Information Leaflet. Read it carefully. Ask your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist if you have any questions.Take this medication by mouth, usually once or twice a day with or without food or as directed by your doctor. Dosage is based on your medical condition and response to therapy. To decrease side effects such as upset stomach, your doctor may start you at a low dose (once a day) and slowly increase to twice a day. Do not increase your dose or take this medication more often without your doctor's approval. Your condition will not improve any faster, and the risk of serious side effects may be increased. The usual maximum adult dose is 9 milligrams each day.Almost half of all patients have diarrhea or more frequent/loose stools while taking this medication. If this persists or becomes a problem, your doctor may lower the dose or have you temporarily stop the medication. Do not stop or change the dose of your medicine without talking with your doctor.Take this medication regularly in order to get the most benefit from it. To help you remember, take it at the same time(s) each day.If you have been receiving gold injections, you can usually start taking gold by mouth as soon as you stop the injections. If you are changing over from penicillamine, you will usually need to wait 1 month after stopping the penicillamine before starting auranofin. Ask your doctor for more details.It may take 3 to 4 months of therapy before you see the full benefits of this medication.Inform your doctor if your condition persists or worsens.