Macugen is a medicine that is prescribed to treat age-related wet macular degeneration. This eMedTV Web page explains how Macugen can help slow down vision loss, offers dosing information for the drug, and lists possible side effects that may occur.
Common Macugen side effects may include eye discharge, conjunctivitis, and inflammation of the eyelids. This eMedTV resource lists other commonly reported side effects of the drug and also lists serious side effects that require medical attention.
Macugen is used for the treatment of age-related wet macular degeneration. This article from the eMedTV library discusses how the medicine works to reduce vision loss and explains whether there are any approved off-label Macugen uses.
Your Macugen dosage is typically administered every six weeks by being injected into the affected eye. This eMedTV Web page offers other Macugen dosing information and describes the steps your doctor will take before administering the injection.
At this time, there are no known Macugen drug interactions. As this eMedTV page explains, because Macugen is injected directly into the eye and enters the bloodstream in low amounts, it is unlikely to interact with other medicines in the blood.
You should not take Macugen if you have an infection in or near your eyes. This segment from the eMedTV library explains who else should not take the drug and lists other Macugen warnings and precautions to be aware of before starting treatment.
Macugen is generally considered safe during pregnancy. This section of the eMedTV archives offers more information on Macugen and pregnancy, and explains why it is unlikely for a young woman to take a medication like Macugen.
It is not known whether Macugen is safe to use while breastfeeding. As this eMedTV page explains, no research has been conducted on Macugen and breastfeeding. If the drug does pass through breast milk, however, it may cause problems for the infant.
Generic Macugen products are not expected to become available until June 2010, at the earliest. This eMedTV page further discusses when generic Macugen may be available and explains the difference between a drug's "generic name" and its generic form.
