Before starting treatment
Things to consider before taking BARACLUDE® (entecavir)
There are things you need to consider before taking BARACLUDE. Let your doctor know if you:
- Have or may have been exposed to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). If you are taking BARACLUDE to treat chronic hepatitis B and are not taking medicines for your HIV at the same time, some HIV treatments that you take in the future may be less likely to work. You should get an HIV test before you start taking BARACLUDE and anytime after that when there is a chance you were exposed to HIV. BARACLUDE will not help your HIV infection.
- Have kidney problems. You may need a lower dose or a different dose schedule of BARACLUDE.
- Have had a liver transplant. You will need to be carefully monitored before and during treatment with BARACLUDE.
- Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if BARACLUDE is safe to use during pregnancy. It is not known whether BARACLUDE helps prevent a pregnant mother from passing HBV to her baby. You and your doctor will need to decide if BARACLUDE is right for you.
- Are breast-feeding. It is not known if BARACLUDE can pass into your breast milk or if it can harm your baby. If you take BARACLUDE, do not breast-feed.
- Are taking or planning to take any medicines. These include prescription and over-the-counter drugs as well as vitamins and herbal supplements. BARACLUDE may interact with medicines that leave the body through the kidneys.
You should not take BARACLUDE if you:
- Are allergic to any of its ingredients, including the active ingredient in BARACLUDE, entecavir. Please see the Important Patient Information for a full list of ingredients.
- Are less than 16 years old. BARACLUDE has not been studied in children and is not recommended for anyone less than 16 years old.