Trimethoprim 100 mg Tablet, 100-count — NDC 51407-738-01 (Billing 51407-0738-01)

WARNINGS Serious hypersensitivity reactions have been reported rarely in patients on trimethoprim therapy. Trimethoprim has been reported rarely to interfere with hematopoiesis, especially when administered in large doses and/or for prolonged periods. The presence of clinical signs such as sore throat, fever, pallor, or purpura may be early indications of serious blood disorders (see OVERDOSAGE , Chronic ).

Complete blood counts should be obtained if any of these signs are noted in a patient receiving trimethoprim and the drug discontinued if a significant reduction in the count of any formed blood element is found. Clostridium difficile associated diarrhea (CDAD) has been reported with use of nearly all antibacterial agents, including trimethoprim tablets, and may range in severity from mild diarrhea to fatal colitis. Treatment with antibacterial agents alters the normal flora of the colon leading to overgrowth of C. difficile .

C. difficile produces toxins A and B which contribute to the development of CDAD. Hypertoxin producing strains of C. difficile cause increased morbidity and mortality, as these infections can be refractory to antimicrobial therapy and may require colectomy. CDAD must be considered in all patients who present with diarrhea following antibiotic use.

Careful medical history is necessary since CDAD has been reported to occur over two months after the administration of antibacterial agents. If CDAD is suspected or confirmed, ongoing antibiotic use not directed against C. difficile may need to be discontinued. Appropriate fluid and electrolyte management, protein supplementation, antibiotic treatment of C. difficile , and surgical evaluation should be instituted as clinically indicated.

ADVERSE REACTIONS The adverse effects encountered most often with trimethoprim were rash and pruritus. Dermatologic Rash, pruritus, and phototoxic skin eruptions. At the recommended dosage regimens of 100 mg b.i.d. or 200 mg q.d., each for 10 days, the incidence of rash is 2.9% to 6.7%.

In clinical studies which employed high doses of trimethoprim, an elevated incidence of rash was noted. These rashes were maculopapular, morbilliform, pruritic, and generally mild to moderate, appearing 7 to 14 days after the initiation of therapy. Hypersensitivity Rare reports of exfoliative dermatitis, erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis (Lyell Syndrome), and anaphylaxis have been received.

Gastrointestinal Epigastric distress, nausea, vomiting, and glossitis. Elevation of serum transaminase and bilirubin has been noted, but the significance of this finding is unknown. Cholestatic jaundice has been rarely reported.

Hematologic Thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, neutropenia, megaloblastic anemia, and methemoglobinemia. Metabolic Hyperkalemia, hyponatremia. Neurologic Aseptic meningitis has been rarely reported.

Miscellaneous Fever, and increases in BUN and serum creatinine levels.

DRUG INTERACTIONS Trimethoprim may inhibit the hepatic metabolism of phenytoin. Trimethoprim, given at a common clinical dosage, increased the phenytoin half-life by 51% and decreased the phenytoin metabolic clearance rate by 30%. When administering these drugs concurrently, one should be alert for possible excessive phenytoin effect

DRUG & OR LABORATORY TEST INTERACTIONS Trimethoprim can interfere with a serum methotrexate assay as determined by the Competitive Binding Protein Technique (CBPA) when a bacterial dihydrofolate reductase is used as the binding protein. No interference occurs, however, if methotrexate is measured by a radioimmunoassay (RIA). The presence of trimethoprim may also interfere with the Jaffé alkaline picrate reaction assay for creatinine, resulting in overestimations of about 10% in the range of normal values.

PRECAUTIONS GENERAL PRECAUTIONS Prescribing trimethoprim tablets in the absence of a proven or strongly suspected bacterial infection or a prophylactic indication is unlikely to provide benefit to the patient and increases the risk of the development of drug-resistant bacteria. Trimethoprim should be given with caution to patients with possible folate deficiency. Folates may be administered concomitantly without interfering with the antibacterial action of trimethoprim.

Trimethoprim should also be given with caution to patients with impaired renal or hepatic function (see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY and DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION ). INFORMATION FOR PATIENTS Patients should be counseled that antibacterial drugs including trimethoprim tablets should only be used to treat bacterial infections. They do not treat viral infections (e.g., the common cold).

When trimethoprim tablets are prescribed to treat a bacterial infection, patients should be told that although it is common to feel better early in the course of therapy, the medication should be taken exactly as directed. 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 trimethoprim tablets or other antibacterial drugs in the future. Diarrhea is a common problem caused by antibiotics which usually ends when the antibiotic is discontinued.

Sometimes after starting treatment with antibiotics, patients can develop watery and bloody stools (with and without stomach cramps and fever) even as late as two or more months after having taken the last dose of the antibiotic. If this occurs, patients should contact their physician as soon as possible DRUG INTERACTIONS Trimethoprim may inhibit the hepatic metabolism of phenytoin. Trimethoprim, given at a common clinical dosage, increased the phenytoin half-life by 51% and decreased the phenytoin metabolic clearance rate by 30%.

When administering these drugs concurrently, one should be alert for possible excessive phenytoin effect DRUG & OR LABORATORY TEST INTERACTIONS Trimethoprim can interfere with a serum methotrexate assay as determined by the Competitive Binding Protein Technique (CBPA) when a bacterial dihydrofolate reductase is used as the binding protein. No interference occurs, however, if methotrexate is measured by a radioimmunoassay (RIA). The presence of trimethoprim may also interfere with the Jaffé alkaline picrate reaction assay for creatinine, resulting in overestimations of about 10% in the range of normal values.

CARCINOGENESIS & MUTAGENESIS & IMPAIRMENT OF FERTILITY Carcinogenesis Long-term studies in animals to evaluate carcinogenic potential have not been conducted with trimethoprim. Mutagenesis Trimethoprim was demonstrated to be nonmutagenic in the Ames assay. In studies at two laboratories, no chromosomal damage was detected in cultured Chinese hamster ovary cells at concentrations approximately 500 times human plasma levels; at concentrations approximately 1000 times human plasma levels in these same cells, a low level of chromosomal damage was induced at one of the laboratories.

No chromosomal abnormalities were observed in cultured human leukocytes at concentrations of trimethoprim up to 20 times human steady-state plasma levels. No chromosomal effects were detected in peripheral lymphocytes of human subjects receiving 320 mg of trimethoprim in combination with up to 1600 mg of sulfamethoxazole per day for as long as 112 weeks. Impairment of Fertility No adverse effects on fertility or general reproductive performance were observed in rats given trimethoprim in oral dosages as high as 70 mg/kg/day for males and 14 mg/kg/day for females.

PREGNANCY Teratogenic Effects Trimethoprim has been shown to be teratogenic in the rat when given in doses 40 times the human dose. In some rabbit studies, the overall increase in fetal loss (dead and resorbed and malform… [Excerpted — this section continues on DailyMed.]