lanthanum carbonate

What is the most important information I should know about lanthanum carbonate?

This medicine may cause severe bowel obstruction or a perforation (a hole or tear) in your intestines. Your risk is higher if you have ever had stomach or intestinal problems including ulcers, cancer, surgery, or a bowel obstruction.

What is lanthanum carbonate?

Lanthanum carbonate is used to lower phosphate levels in patients with end stage kidney disease. High levels of phosphate can make it hard for your body to absorb calcium, which can cause serious medical problems.

Lanthanum carbonate may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.

What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking lanthanum carbonate?

• a bowel obstruction or severe constipation.

This medicine may cause severe bowel obstruction or a perforation (a hole or tear) in your intestines, especially if you have ever had stomach or intestinal problems.

Tell your doctor if you have ever had:

• a stomach ulcer;
• a bowel obstruction;
• slow digestion or severe constipation;
• surgery on your stomach or intestines;
• ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, diverticulitis;
• stomach or intestinal cancer; or
• peritonitis (inflammation of the membrane lining the organs inside your abdomen).

If you need to have any type of x-ray of your stomach area, tell the doctor ahead of time that you are using lanthanum carbonate.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

How should I take lanthanum carbonate?

Follow all directions on your prescription label and read all medication guides or instruction sheets. Your doctor may occasionally change your dose. Use the medicine exactly as directed.

The chewable tablet must be chewed or crushed completely before you swallow it. Do not swallow a chewable tablet whole. Not chewing the tablet completely may lead to serious stomach or intestinal problems.

If you have tooth problems or cannot chew easily, crush the chewable tablet before swallowing, or ask your doctor about using the oral powder form of lanthanum carbonate.

Sprinkle the oral powder into a small amount of applesauce or other soft food (oral powder will not dissolve in liquid). Swallow right away without chewing. Do not save the mixture for later use.

While using lanthanum carbonate, you may need frequent blood tests.

What happens if I miss a dose?

Skip the missed dose and use your next dose at the regular time. Do not use two doses at one time.

What happens if I overdose?

What should I avoid while taking lanthanum carbonate?

What are the possible side effects of lanthanum carbonate?

This medicine may cause severe bowel obstruction or a perforation (a hole or tear) in your intestines.

• severe stomach pain, bloating, or tenderness;
• fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite;
• severe constipation; or
• bleeding from your rectum or blood in your stools;

Common side effects may include:

• nausea, vomiting;
• diarrhea; or
• stomach pain.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

What other drugs will affect lanthanum carbonate?

Lanthanum carbonate can make it harder for your body to absorb other medicines you take, which could make the other medicines less effective. If you take any of the following medicines, take them separately from your dose of lanthanum carbonate:

• Thyroid medication: Take it at least 2 hours before or 2 hours after you take lanthanum carbonate.
• An antibiotic such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro) or levofloxacin (Levaquin): Take it at least 1 hour before or 4 hours after you take lanthanum carbonate.
• An antacid: Take it at least 2 hours before or 2 hours after you take lanthanum carbonate.

Other drugs may affect lanthanum carbonate, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Tell your doctor about all your current medicines and any medicine you start or stop using.

Where can I get more information?

Your pharmacist can provide more information about lanthanum carbonate.

Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

Copyright 1996-2023 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version: 6.01. Revision date: 10/12/2020.