Ketotifen

About ketotifen

Exposure to substances such as pollen, animal fur or house dust mite can cause your body to produce allergic symptoms. Cells in the lining of your nose release a chemical called histamine when they come into contact with these substances. This leads to inflammation (rhinitis), which produces symptoms such as sneezing and a runny or blocked nose. Ketotifen, an antihistamine, stops the effects of histamine and this helps to relieve these symptoms.

This leaflet gives information on taking ketotifen by mouth as tablets or oral liquid. Ketotifen is also available in eye drop form. Please see the separate leaflet Ketotifen eye drops for hay fever for more information.

Before taking ketotifen

Some medicines are not suitable for people with certain conditions, and sometimes a medicine may only be used if extra care is taken. For these reasons, before you start taking ketotifen it is important that your doctor or pharmacist knows:

• Wenn Sie schwanger sind, ein Kind erwarten oder stillen.

• If you have a problem with the way your liver works, or if you have a problem with your kidneys.

• If you have a condition which causes increased pressure in your eyes, such as glaucoma.

• If you have prostate problems, or if you have been experiencing any difficulty passing urine.

• Wenn Sie wissen, dass Sie eine Verstopfung in Ihrem Dünndarm haben.

• Wenn Sie Epilepsie haben.

• If you have a rare inherited blood condition known as porphyria.

• Wenn Sie andere Arzneimittel einnehmen. Dazu gehören alle Arzneimittel, die Sie einnehmen und die rezeptfrei erhältlich sind, sowie pflanzliche und ergänzende Arzneimittel.

• Wenn Sie schon einmal eine allergische Reaktion auf ein Arzneimittel hatten.

How to take ketotifen

• Before you start this treatment, read the manufacturer's printed information leaflet from inside your pack. The manufacturer's leaflet will give you more information about ketotifen and will provide a full list of the side-effects which you may experience from taking it.

• Take ketotifen exactly as your doctor tells you to. The usual recommended doses are:
  

  • Adults: one tablet (1 mg) twice daily.

  • Children aged over 3 years: one 5 ml spoonful (1 mg) twice daily.

• Take ketotifen with a meal or a snack. Some people find it helps to swallow the tablets with a drink of water.

• Wenn Sie die Einnahme einer Dosis vergessen haben, machen Sie sich keine Sorgen, nehmen Sie einfach die nächste Dosis, wenn sie fällig ist, und fahren Sie dann wie zuvor fort. Nehmen Sie nicht zwei Dosen zusammen ein, um eine vergessene Dosis nachzuholen.

• Most people only need to take an antihistamine for a short while when they have symptoms. You should stop taking ketotifen once your symptoms have eased.

Das Beste aus Ihrer Behandlung herausholen

• Ketotifen may cause drowsiness. If this happens to you, do not drive and do not use tools or machines. Alcohol will make the drowsiness worse, so it is best not to drink alcohol while you are on ketotifen.

• Wenn Sie sich einer Operation oder einer Behandlung unterziehen müssen (insbesondere wenn es sich um einen Allergietest handelt), teilen Sie der behandelnden Person mit, dass Sie ein Antihistaminikum einnehmen.

• Ketotifen may cause some people's skin to become more sensitive to sunlight than normal. Use a sunscreen that protects against UVA light and has a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15, especially in strong sunlight or until you know how your skin reacts. Do not use sunbeds.

• If you buy any medicines, check with a pharmacist that they are safe to take with an antihistamine. This is because a number of other medicines can interfere with the way ketotifen works and can increase the risk of side-effects.

Can ketotifen cause problems?

Along with their useful effects, most medicines can cause unwanted side-effects although not everyone experiences them. The table below contains the most common ones associated with ketotifen. You will find a full list in the manufacturer's information leaflet supplied with your medicine. The unwanted effects often improve as your body adjusts to the new medicine, but speak with your doctor or pharmacist if any continue or become troublesome.

Wenn Sie andere Symptome haben, von denen Sie glauben, dass sie auf dieses Arzneimittel zurückzuführen sind, wenden Sie sich an Ihren Arzt oder Apotheker, um weiteren Rat zu erhalten.

How to store ketotifen

• Bewahren Sie alle Arzneimittel außerhalb der Sicht und Reichweite von Kindern auf.

• An einem kühlen, trockenen Ort aufbewahren, vor direkter Hitze und Licht schützen.

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