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Other drug names: | A-Am An-Az B C-Ch Ci-Cz D-Dh Di-Dz E F G H I-J K-L M-Mh Mi-Mz N-Nh Ni-Nz O P-Pl Pm-Pz Q-R S-Sn So-Sz T-To Tp-Tz U-V W-Z 0-9 |
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In the U.S.—
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Other commonly used names are RU 486
Mifepristone ( mif-i-PRIS-tone) is used to end a pregnancy that is less than 49 days' in duration. It works by stopping the supply of hormones that maintains the interior of the uterus. Without these hormones, the uterus cannot support the pregnancy and the contents of the uterus are expelled.
This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription, in the following dosage form:
In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For mifepristone, the following should be considered:
Allergies—Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to mifepristone, misoprostol or any other prostaglandins.
Pregnancy—Mifepristone is used to terminate an early pregnancy. Fetal deformities may result if a pregnancy is allowed to continue following a failed attempt at medical termination.
Breast-feeding—It is unknown whether mifepristone is distributed in the breast milk.
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 mifepristone, it is especially important that your doctor and pharmacist know if you are taking any of the following:
Dosing—
You must have 3 visits to your physicians office during the treatment procedure. It is extremely important that you attend all three visits.
Check with your physician if the vaginal bleeding becomes severe or seems to last longer than expected.
You may need to have a surgical procedure to stop excessive vaginal bleeding or to terminate a pregnancy that was not terminated with the medical treatment procedure.
Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.
Check with your doctor as soon as possible if any of the following side effects occur:
Other side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. However, check with your doctor if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome.
Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your doctor.
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Page last updated: 22 October 2004 |