Xalatan Eye Drops - Discount Pharmacy Australia

XALATAN(R) Eye DropsLatanoprostConsumer Medicine InformationWhat is in this leafletThis leaflet answers some commonquestions about XALATAN. It doesnot contain all the availableinformation. It does not take theplace of talking to your doctor orpharmacist.All medicines have risks andbenefits. Your doctor has weighedthe risks of you using XALATANagainst the benefits it is expected tohave for you.If you have any concerns aboutusing this medicine, ask yourdoctor or pharmacist.Keep this leaflet with the medicine.You may need to read it again.What XALATAN is usedforXALATAN is used to lower raisedpressure in the eye and to treatglaucoma. Glaucoma is a conditionin which the pressure of fluid in theeye may be high. However, somepeople with glaucoma may havenormal eye pressure.Glaucoma is usually caused by abuild up of the fluid which flowsthrough the eye. This build upoccurs because the fluid drains out ofyour eye more slowly than it is beingpumped in. Since new fluidcontinues to enter the eye, joining thefluid already there, the pressurecontinues to rise. This raisedpressure may damage the back of theeye resulting in gradual loss of sight.Damage can progress so slowly thatthe person is not aware of thisgradual loss of sight. Sometimeseven normal eye pressure isassociated with damage to the backof the eye.There are usually no symptoms ofglaucoma. The only way of knowingthat you have glaucoma is to haveyour eye pressure, optic nerve andvisual field checked by an eyespecialist or optometrist. Ifglaucoma is not treated it can lead toserious problems, including totalblindness. In fact, untreatedglaucoma is one of the most commoncauses of blindness.Although XALATAN helps controlyour glaucoma it does not cure it.XALATAN is used, either alone or incombination with other eyemedicines, to lower raised pressurewithin your eye.XALATAN lowers pressure in theeye by allowing more fluid to flowout from within your eye.XALATAN belongs to a family ofmedicines called prostaglandinagonists.Your doctor may have prescribedXALATAN for another reason. Askyour doctor if you have anyquestions about why XALATAN hasbeen prescribed for you.XALATAN is not addictive.Before you useXALATANWhen you must not use itDo not use XALATAN if:* you have an allergy toXALATAN or any of theingredients listed at the end ofthis leaflet* the bottle or packaging showssigns of tampering* the expiry date on the pack haspassed.If you use this medicine after theexpiry date has passed, it may notwork.Do not put the eye drops into youreyes while you are wearing softcontact lenses.The preservative in XALATAN(benzalkonium chloride) may bedeposited in soft contact lenses. Youcan put your soft contact lenses backinto your eyes 15 minutes after youhave used XALATAN.If you are not sure whether youshould start using XALATAN, talkto your doctor.XALATAN is not recommendedfor use in children. The safety andeffectiveness of XALATAN inchildren have not been established.Before you start to use itTell your doctor if:1. you have had an allergy to anyother medicines or any othersubstances, such as foods,preservatives or dyes.XALATAN(R) EYE DROPS 1

2. you are pregnant or intend tobecome pregnant.Your doctor will discuss thepossible risks and benefits ofusing XALATAN duringpregnancy.3. you are breast-feeding orintend to breast-feedYour doctor will discuss thepossible risks and benefits ofusing XALATAN whenbreast-feeding.4. you have or have had anymedical conditions, particularlyany other types of glaucoma.If you have not told your doctorabout any of the above, tell him orher before you use XALATAN.Taking other medicinesTell your doctor if you are takingany other medicines, including anythat you buy without aprescription from your pharmacy,supermarket or health food shop.Some medicines and XALATANmay interfere with each other. Theseinclude eye drops which contain aningredient called thiomersal. If usingsuch eye drops as well asXALATAN, you should wait at least5 minutes between using these eyedrops and XALATAN.How to use XALATANHow much to useThe usual dose of XALATAN is onedrop into the affected eye, or eyes,once daily. XALATAN will have thebest effect if used in the evening.Use XALATAN only whenprescribed by your doctor.Follow all directions given to youby your doctor carefully.They may differ from theinformation contained in this leaflet.Use XALATAN every day, atabout the same time each day,unless your doctor tells youotherwise.Using your eye drops at the sametime each day will have the besteffect on your eye pressure. It willalso help you remember when to usethe eye drops.If using other eye drops in additionto XALATAN, wait at least 5minutes after using XALATANbefore putting the other eye dropsin your eye or eyes.If you are being changed from oneeye drop to another, follow yourdoctor's instructions carefully as towhen to stop the old drops andwhen to start the new drops.How to use itYou may find it easier to put drops inyour eye while you are sitting orlying down.If you are wearing soft contactlenses, remove them before puttingthe drops in your eye.1. Wash your hands well with soapand water.2. Twist off the protective overcapfrom the bottle.3. Unscrew the inner cap.4. Use your finger to gently pulldown the lower eyelid of youraffected eye.5. Tilt your head back and look up.6. Place the tip of the bottle close tobut not touching your eye.Squeeze the bottle gently so thatonly one drop goes into your eye,then release the lower eyelid.Close your eye. Do not blink orrub your eye.7. While your eye is closed, placeyour index finger against theinside corner of your eye andpress against your nose for abouttwo minutes. This will help tostop the medicine from drainingthrough the tear duct to the noseand throat, from where it can beabsorbed into other parts of yourbody. Ask your doctor for morespecific instructions on thistechnique.8. Screw the inner cap back on thebottle.9. Wash your hands again with soapand water to remove any residueWait 15 minutes before replacingyour contact lenses.You may feel a slight burningsensation in the eye shortly afterusing the eye drops. If this persists,or is very uncomfortable, contactyour doctor or pharmacist.Be careful not to touch the droppertip against your eye, eyelid oranything else to avoidcontaminating the eye drops.Contaminated eye drops may giveyou an eye infection.How long to use itXALATAN helps control yourcondition but does not cure it.Therefore XALATAN must be usedevery day. Continue usingXALATAN for as long as yourdoctor prescribes.If you forget to use itIf you miss a dose, skip the doseyou missed and take your next dosewhen you are meant to.If you are not sure whether to skipthe dose, talk to your doctor orpharmacist.Do not use double the amount tomake up for the dose that youmissed.If you use too much(overdose)If you accidentally put severaldrops in your eye, immediatelyrinse your eye with warm water.If you think that you or anyoneelse may have swallowed any or allof the contents of a bottle ofXALATAN, immediately telephoneyour doctor or PoisonsInformation Centre (telephone 1311 26) for advice, or go to Accidentand Emergency at your nearesthospital. Do this even if there areno signs of discomfort orpoisoning.XALATAN(R) EYE DROPS 2

While you are usingXALATANThings you must doHave your eye pressure checkedwhen your eye specialist says, tomake sure XALATAN is working.If you wear soft contact lenses,remove them before usingXALATAN. Leave your lenses outfor at least 15 minutes afterputting in the eye drops.If you develop an eye infection,receive an eye injury, or have eyesurgery tell your doctor.Your doctor may tell you to use anew container of XALATANbecause of possible contamination ofthe old one, or may advise you tostop your treatment withXALATAN.If you become pregnant whileusing XALATAN tell your doctorimmediately.If you are about to be started onany new medicine tell your doctorand pharmacist that you are usingXALATAN.Tell all doctors and pharmacistswho are treating you that you areusing XALATAN.Things you must not doDo not give XALATAN to anyoneelse, even if they have the samecondition as you.Do not stop using XALATANwithout first talking to yourdoctor.If you stop using your eye drops,your eye pressures may rise againand damage to your eye may occur.Things to be careful ofBe careful driving or operatingmachinery until you know howXALATAN affects you.XALATAN generally does not causeany problems with your ability todrive a car or operate machinery.However, XALATAN may causeblurred vision in some people. Makesure you know how you react toXALATAN or that your vision isclear before driving a car oroperating machinery.Side effectsCheck with your doctor as soon aspossible if you have any problemswhile taking XALATAN, even ifyou do not think the problems areconnected with the medicine or arenot listed in this leaflet.Like other medicines, XALATANcan cause some side effects. If theyoccur, most are likely to be minorand temporary. However, some maybe serious and need medicalattention.Ask your doctor or pharmacist toanswer any questions you mayhave.Tell your doctor if you notice anyof the following and they worryyou:* blurred vision* irritation or feeling of havingsomething in the eye. This maybe worse during the first two orthree days of using XALATAN.* eye pain* redness, burning or watering ofthe eye/s* discharge, itching of the eye/s,crusty eyelashes* darkening, thickening andlengthening of eye lashes and thefine hair on the eyelids.* An increase in the number ofeyelashes and the fine hair on theeyelashes.* Misdirected eyelashes sometimescausing eye irritation.* darkening of the skin of theeyelids* crusting, redness, thickening,itching or burning of the eyelids* skin rash* a slow change in eye colour overa period of time. The iris maybecome more brown in colourand appear darker. This changeis permanent and may be morenoticeable if you are only beingtreated in one eye.If any of the following happen, stopusing XALATAN and tell yourdoctor immediately or go toAccident and Emergency at yournearest hospital:* wheezing, difficulty in breathing(asthma or worsening of asthma)* shortness of breathThese are rare but serious sideeffects.Do not be alarmed by this list ofpossible side effects. You may notexperience any of them.Other side effects not listed abovemay also occur in some patients.Tell your doctor if you notice anyother effects.After using XALATANStorageBefore the XALATAN bottle hasbeen opened, it should be kept in itsbox in a refrigerator (2 - 8 degrees C)protected from light.Once opened, the XALATANbottle should be kept inside its boxin a cool place where thetemperature stays below 25degrees C. Keep the box properlyclosed and protected from light.Do not store XALATAN or anyother medicine in the bathroom ornear a sink. Do not leave it in thecar or on window sills. Do notcarry the eye drops in pockets ofyour clothes.Heat and dampness can destroy somemedicines.Keep your XALATAN eye dropswhere children cannot reach it.A locked cupboard at leastone-and-a-half metres above theground is a good place to storemedicines.XALATAN(R) EYE DROPS 3

Do not leave the top off the bottlefor any length of time to avoidcontaminating the eye drops.DisposalWrite the date on the bottle whenyou open the eye drops and throwout any remaining solution afterfour weeks.Eye drops contain a preservativewhich helps prevent germs growingin the solution for the first fourweeks after opening the bottle. Afterthis time there is a greater risk thatthe drops may become contaminatedand cause an eye infection. A newbottle should be opened.If your doctor tells you to stopusing the eye drops or they havepassed their expiry date, ask yourpharmacist what to do with anyremaining solution.Product descriptionWhat it looks likeXALATAN eye drops come in aplastic bottle with a dropper andscrew cap inside a protectiveovercap. This overcap must beremoved before use.When you first receive yourXALATAN bottle, it will appear halffull. This corresponds to 2.5 mL ofeye drop solution, giving a minimumof 80 drops. This volume is enoughto last 4 weeks if used in both eyes.benzalkonium chloride (as apreservative).IdentificationXALATAN can be identified by theAustralian Register Number AUST R58775, which is found on the box.SupplierXALATAN is supplied in Australiaby:Pharmacia Australia Pty LimitedACN 000 185 52659 Kirby StreetRydalmere NSW 2116For medical enquiries call 1300 362486.For more information aboutglaucoma, contact GlaucomaAustralia Inc. (telephone 1800 500880)This leaflet was prepared inFebruary 2003.(C) Copyright 2003(R) Registered TrademarkEI6005-1IngredientsThe active ingredient in XALATANeye drops is latanoprost. Each 1 mLof XALATAN contains 50micrograms of latanoprost. Eachdrop contains about 1.5 microgramsof latanoprost.XALATAN eye drops also containsodium chloride, monobasic sodiumphosphate, dibasic sodium phosphateanhydrous, water for injections andXALATAN(R) EYE DROPS 4