Side Effects of INTRON® A







		INTRON® A
			About INTRON® A Therapy
			How INTRON® A Is Taken
			Facts About INTRON® A
			Side Effects of INTRON® A
			INTRON® A Prescribing Information

Side Effects of INTRON® A

The most common side effects associated with INTRON® A are flu-like symptoms, which are usually the worst during the first few weeks of treatment and tend to lessen over time. So don't give up!

Other side effects you may experience include fatigue, fever, muscle pains, general body aches, chills, and nausea. You may also find that food tastes different or that you have a metallic taste in your mouth. Mild hair thinning and dry, itchy skin can also occur. Some of the side effects are similar to the symptoms of hepatitis, so you may use some of the same approaches to handle these problems whenever they arise. (See Living with Hepatitis.)

WARNING

Alpha interferons, including INTRON® A, cause or aggravate fatal or life-threatening neuropsychiatric, autoimmune, ischemic, and infectious disorders. Patients should be monitored closely with periodic clinical and laboratory evaluations. Patients with persistently severe or worsening signs or symptoms of these conditions should be withdrawn from therapy. In many but not all cases these disorders resolve after stopping INTRON A therapy.

All patients receiving INTRON A therapy experienced mild-to-moderate side effects. Some patients experienced more severe side effects, including neutropenia, fatigue, myalgia, headache, fever, chills, and increased SGOT. Other frequently occurring side effects were nausea, vomiting, depression, alopecia, diarrhea, and thrombocytopenia. DEPRESSION AND SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR, INCLUDING SUICIDAL IDEATION, SUICIDAL ATTEMPTS, AND COMPLETED SUICIDES, HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH TREATMENT WITH ALFA INTERFERONS, INCLUDING INTRON A THERAPY.

See also INTRON® A Prescribing Information.