Entocort

Entocort is a prescription medication used to treat certain inflammatory diseases such as Crohn's disease. Entocort belongs to a group of drugs called corticosteroids which help to decrease inflammation to relieve symptoms.

Entocort comes in a capsule form and is usually taken once daily in the morning with or without food. 

Common side effects of Entocort include headache, nausea, and stomach pain.

Entocort is used to treat Crohn's disease. Crohn's disease is a condition in which the body attacks the lining of the digestive tract, causing pain, inflammation, diarrhea, weight loss, and fever.

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

• Astrazeneca

Serious side effects have been reported with Entocort. See the 'Drug Precautions' section for additional information.

Common side effects include:

• headache
• nausea
• stomach pain
• fatigue
• flatulence
• abdominal problems
• acne
• urinary tract infection
• joint pain
• constipation

Tell your healthcare provider about any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

These are not all of the side effects of Entocort. Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Using Entocort with certain other medicines may affect each other causing side effects.

Especially tell your healthcare provider if you take:

• a corticosteroid medicine
• anti-seizure medicine (anticonvulsants)
• medicines that suppress your immune system (immunosuppressant)
• ketoconazale (Nizoral)
• clarithromycin (Biaxin)
• erythromycin (Ery-C, Ery Gel, Ery-Tab, PCE)
• indinavir (Crixivan)
• itraconazole (Sporanox, Onmel)
• nefazodone
• nelfinavir (Viracept)
• ritonavir (Norvir, Kaletra)
• telithromycin (Ketek)

This is not a complete list of Entocort drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Serious side effects of Entocort include the following:

• Having too much corticosteroid medicine in your blood (hypercorticism). Long-time use can cause you to accumulate too much corticosteroid medicine in your blood. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any of the following signs and symptoms of hypercorticism:
  • acne
  • bruising easily
  • rounding of your face (moon face)
  • ankle swelling
  • thicker or more hair on your body and face
  • a fatty pad or hump between your shoulders (buffalo hump)
  • pink or purple stretch marks on the skin of your abdomen, thighs, breasts and arms
• Adrenal suppression. When taken for a long period of time (chronic use), the adrenal glands do not make enough steroid hormones (adrenal suppression). Tell your healthcare provider if you are under stress or have any symptoms of adrenal suppression:
  • tiredness
  • weakness
  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • low blood pressure
• Worsening of allergies. If you take certain other corticosteroid medicines to treat allergies, switching to Entocort may cause your allergies to come back. These allergies may include eczema (a skin disease) or rhinitis (inflammation inside your nose). Tell your healthcare provider if any of your allergies become worse.
• Do not take Entocort if you have had an allergic reaction to Entocort or to any of its ingredients.

Grapefruit and grapefruit juice may interact with Entocort and lead to potentially dangerous effects. Discuss the use of grapefruit products with your doctor.

Before using Entocort tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditiona and especially if you:

• are allergic to any ingredients in Entocort
• have or had chicken pox or measles, or have recently been near anyone with chicken pox or measles. have or had tuberculosis of your respiratory tract. Have certain kinds of serious infections that have not been treated, including:
  • fungal infections
  • bacterial infections
  • viral infections
  • parasitic infections
• have recently had surgery or an injury to your nose
• herpes simplex infection of the eye (ocular herpes simplex)
• have eye problems such as increased pressure in the eye, glaucoma, or cataracts
• are planning to have surgery
• have liver problems
• have decreased bone mineral density

You are at risk for decreased bone mineral density if you:

• are inactive for a long period of time
• have a family history of osteoporosis
• are a woman going through menopause or are past menopause
• smoke or use tobacco
• do not eat well (poor nutrition)
• are elderly
• take bone thinning medicines (such as anticonvulsant medicines or corticosteroids) for a long time

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Using Entocort with certain other medicines may affect each other causing side effects.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

This medication falls into category B. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if Entocort will harm your unborn baby.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. The active ingredient in Entocort is excreted in human breast milk. It is not known if Entocort will harm your nursing baby.

Take Entocort exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to take it.

Entocort comes in capsule form and should be taken in the morning.

Swallow each Entocort capsule whole. Do not open, chew, or crush capsules. 

If you miss a dose, take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take your next dose at the regular time. Do not take two doses of Entocort at the same time.

Your provider will tell you how long to take Entocort.

Take Entocort exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully.

Your dose of Entocort depends on how active your Crohn's disease currently is and may range from 6 mg to 9 mg daily.

If you take too much this medication, call your healthcare provider or local Poison Control Center, or seek emergency medical attention right away.

If this medication is administered by a healthcare provider in a medical setting, it is unlikely that an overdose will occur. However, if overdose is suspected, seek emergency medical attention.

• Store at room temperature.
• Dispense in a tight, light-resistant container using a child-resistant closure.
• Keep container tightly closed.
• Keep this and all medication out of the reach of children.