Astelin and ReoPro

• Generic Name: azelastine nasal
• Dosage Forms: nasal spray, metered
• Other Brand Names: Astelin, Astepro

Astelin (azelastine) is an antihistamine that reduces the effects of natural chemical histamine in the body. Histamine can produce symptoms of sneezing, itching, watery eyes, and runny nose.

Astelin nasal spray is used to treat sneezing, runny or stuffy nose, itching, and other nasal symptoms of allergies, in adults and children who are at least 5 years old.

Astelin is also used to treat ongoing nasal symptoms (runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, itching) that are not caused by allergies, in adults and children who are at least 12 years old.

• Generic Name: abciximab
• Dosage Forms: injection, solution
• Other Brand Names: ReoPro

ReoPro is used to lessen the chance of heart attack in people who need percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), a procedure to open blocked arteries of the heart.

A heart attack may occur when a blood vessel in the heart is blocked by a blood clot. Blood clots can sometimes form during PCI. ReoPro reduces the chance that a harmful clot will form by preventing certain cells in the blood from clumping together. ReoPro is used with aspirin and heparin, which are other medicines used to keep your blood from clotting.

ReoPro is available only with your doctor's prescription, in the following dosage forms:

Parenteral Injection (U.S. and Canada)

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of using the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For ReoPro, the following should be considered:

Allergies - Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to ReoPro or murine (mouse) proteins. If you have had ReoPro before, you may have developed an allergy to it. Tell your doctor if you have ever had ReoPro. Also tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to any other substances, such as [foods, preservatives, or dyes].

Pregnancy - Studies on effects in pregnancy have not been done in either humans or animals. Before taking this medicine, make sure your doctor knows if you are pregnant or if you may become pregnant.

Breast-feeding - It is not known whether this medicine passes into breast milk. Although most medicines pass into breast milk in small amounts, many of them may be used safely while breast-feeding. Mothers who are using ReoPro and who wish to breast-feed should discuss this with their doctor. P>Children - Studies on this medicine have been done only in adult patients, and there is no specific information comparing use of ReoPro in children with use in other age groups.

Older adults - Bleeding problems may be especially likely to occur in elderly patients, who are usually more sensitive than younger adults to the effects of ReoPro. It is important that you discuss the use of ReoPro with your doctor.

Other medicines - Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking ReoPro, it is especially important that your doctor and pharmacist know if you are taking any of the following:

Aspirin or Anticoagulants (blood thinners such as warfarin [Coumadin]) or Cefamandole (e.g., Mandol) or Cefoperazone (e.g., Cefobid) or Cefotetan (e.g., Cefotan) or Clot-dissolving drugs (alteplase [e.g., Activase], streptokinase [e.g., Streptase], urokinase [e.g., Abbokinase]), or Dextran, or Dipyridamole (e.g., Persantine, Aggrenox) or Heparin, or Inflammation or pain medicine, except narcotics, or Medicines that prevent platelets from sticking together (clopidogrel [e.g., Plavix], ticlopidine [e.g., Ticlid]). Using any of these medicines together with ReoPro may increase the risk of bleeding.

Other medical problems - The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of ReoPro. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

Aneurysm (swelling in a blood vessel) especially in the head or Blood disease or a history of unusual bleeding or Brain problems which may include bleeding, disease, injury or tumor or If you weigh less than 150 pounds or If you are over 65 years of age or Injury to any part of the body or Liver disease or Stroke - The risk of bleeding may be increased

Also, tell your doctor if you have received ReoPro or heparin before and had a reaction to either of them called thrombocytopenia (a low platelet count in the blood), or if new blood clots formed while you were receiving the medicine.

In addition, tell your doctor if you have recently had any bleeding from the stomach, previously had a stroke, recently fallen or suffered a blow to the body or head, or had major medical or dental surgery. These events may increase the risk of serious bleeding when you are taking ReoPro.