Patients who reach Month 2 on ELMIRON® are significantly more likely to remain on therapy.1 Keeping a patient engaged and motivated by tracking their progress during monthly consultations may help see them through the critical early stage of therapy.
Follow-up may help keep patients motivated to stay on treatment
- Reassess symptom improvement at 1 month1
- Emphasize any improvement, even if modest
- Follow up with patients who don't return after 1 month
- Reiterate that ELMIRON® works gradually and may require 3 to 6 months of continuous therapy
- Reinforce the importance of diet and lifestyle changes
Important Safety Information
- Contraindications: ELMIRON® is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to the drug, structurally related compounds, or excipients
- Anticoagulant Activity: ELMIRON® is a weak anticoagulant (blood thinner) which may increase bleeding. Patients undergoing invasive surgery or having signs/symptoms of underlying coagulopathy or other increased risk of bleeding (due to anticoagulant therapy or high doses of anti-inflammatory drugs) should be evaluated for the risk of hemorrhage
- Alopecia: In clinical trials of ELMIRON®, alopecia began within the first 4 weeks of treatment. Ninety-seven percent (97%) of the cases of alopecia reported were alopecia areata, limited to a single area on the scalp
- Use in Pregnancy: ELMIRON® is a Pregnancy Category B drug
- Most Common Adverse Reactions (frequency 1% to 4%): Alopecia (4%), diarrhea (4%), nausea (4%), headache (3%), rash (3%), dyspepsia (2%), abdominal pain (2%), liver function abnormalities (1%), dizziness (1%)
- References:
- IMS Data. January 2007.
- Kahn BS, Stanford EJ, Mishell DR Jr, Rosenberg MT, Wysocki S. Management of patients with interstitial cystitis or chronic pelvic pain of bladder origin: a consensus report. Curr Med Res Opin. 2005;21:509-516.
