Cayston

Cayston is a prescription medicine used to treat certain bacterial infections. Cayston is in a class of drugs called monobactam antibacterials. It interferes with the growth of bacterial cells and causes them to die.

Cayston also comes in inhalational form. It is inhaled through the mouth into the lungs using a machine called an Altera Nebulizer. It is usually given three times a day for 28 days.

Common side effects of Cayston inhalation include cough, wheezing, and sore throat.

Cayston is used to treat patients above the age of 7 with cystic fibrosis (CF) who have a lung infection caused by the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

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

• Gilead Sciences, Inc.

Common side effects of Cayston include:

• cough
• nasal congestion
• wheezing
• sore throat
• fever. Fever may be more common in children than in adults.
• chest discomfort
• stomach area (abdominal) pain
• vomiting

Tell your doctor if you have any new or worsening symptoms while taking Cayston. Tell your doctor about any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

These are not all the possible side effects of Cayston. For more information, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

No significant drug interactions have been identified. However, you should tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Not all drug interactions are known or reported and new drug interactions are continually being reported.

• It is common to feel better early in the course of therapy, but you should take all of your medication as prescribed. Skipping doses or not completing the full course of therapy may (1) decrease the effectiveness of the immediate treatment and (2) increase the likelihood that bacteria will develop resistance and will not be treatable by Cayston or other antibacterial drugs in the future.
• Diarrhea is a common problem caused by antibiotics. This should stop once the antibiotic is discontinued. Sometimes after starting treatment with antibiotics, watery and bloody stools (with or without stomach cramps and fever) can occur even as late as 2 or more months after having taken the last dose of the antibiotic. If this occurs, contact your doctor as soon as possible.
• Severe allergic reactions. Stop your treatment with Cayston and call your doctor right away if you have any symptoms of an allergic reaction, including:
  • Rash or swelling of your face
  • Throat tightness
• Trouble breathing right after treatment with Cayston (bronchospasm). To decrease the chance of this happening, be sure to use your inhaled bronchodilator medicine before each treatment with Cayston. 
• Do not take Cayston if you are allergic to it or to any of its inactive ingredients.
• Tell your doctor if you are allergic to any other medications, especially antibiotics, before taking Cayston. There might be a small risk taking Cayston if you have had an allergic reaction to particularly an antibiotic in the past.

Medicines can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of Cayston there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving Cayston.

Before taking Cayston, tell your doctor if you:

• are allergic to any antibiotics
• have liver or kidney problems
• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant
• are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Talk to your doctor about the best way to breastfeed your baby if you take Cayston.

Tell your doctor about all the medicine you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements.

Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them to show your doctor and pharmacist when you get a new medicine

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. There are no well-done pregnancy studies that have been done in humans with Cayston. In animal studies, pregnant animals were given this medication, and the babies did not show any medical issues related to this medication.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. The active ingredient in Cayston can pass into breast milk. Talk to your doctor about the best way to breastfeed your baby if you take Cayston. 

• Take Cayston exactly as prescribed by your doctor.
• The dose of Cayston for both adults and children 7 years of age and older is one vial of Cayston, mixed with one ampule of saline (diluent) 3 times a day.
• Doses of Cayston should be taken at least 4 hours apart (for example: morning, after school, and before bed).
• Cayston should be taken for 28 days.
• Cayston is taken as a breathing treatment (inhalation) with the Altera Nebulizer System. Do not use any other nebulizer for your Cayston treatment.

You should use an inhaled bronchodilator (a type of medicine used to relax and open your airways) before taking a dose of Cayston. If you do not have an inhaled bronchodilator, ask your doctor to prescribe one for you.

• If you are taking several medicines or treatments to treat your cystic fibrosis, you should take your medicines or other treatments in this order:

  1)  bronchodilator

  2)  mucolytics (medicines to help clear mucus from your lungs)

  3)  Cayston 

Take Cayston as prescribed, in courses of 28 days on Cayston , followed by at least 28 days off Cayston, as directed by your doctor.

• Do not mix Cayston with any other medicines in your Altera Nebulizer System.
• Do not mix Cayston with the saline until right before you are ready to use it. Do not mix more than one dose of Cayston at a time.
• Each treatment should take about 2 to 3 minutes.
• If you miss a dose of Cayston, you can still take all 3 daily doses as long as they are at least 4 hours apart.
• It is important for you to finish taking the full 28-day course of Cayston even if you are feeling better. If you skip doses or do not finish the full 28-day course of Cayston, your infection may not be fully treated and Cayston may not work as well as a treatment for infections in the future.

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

The dose of Cayston for both adults and children 7 years of age and older is one vial of Cayston (75 mg of Cayston), mixed with one ampule of saline (diluent) 3 times a day.

If you take too much Cayston, call your doctor or local Poison Control Center, or seek emergency medical attention right away.

• Each Cayston kit contains enough vials of Cayston and ampules of saline for 28 days of treatment. There are 4 extra saline ampules in case some saline spills.
• Always keep your Cayston and saline together.
• Store Cayston and saline in the refrigerator at 36 °F to 46 °F (2 °C to 8 °C) until needed.
• When you remove Cayston and saline from the refrigerator, they may be stored at room temperature (less than 77 °F) for up to 28 days. Do not use any Cayston that has been stored at room temperature for more than 28 days.
• Keep Cayston away from light.
• Do not use Cayston after the expiration date on the vial. Do not use the saline after the expiration date on the ampule.

Keep Cayston and all medicines out of the reach of children.