Lanthanum Carbonate

Lanthanum carbonate is a prescription medication used in people with end stage renal disease (ESRD) to lower the amount of phosphate in the blood. Lanthanum carbonate works be preventing the body from absorbing phosphate and allowing it to be removed from the body.

This medication comes in a chewable tablet form. It is usually taken with or immediately after meals. Chew or crush tablets completely before swallowing.

Common side effects of lanthanum carbonate include nausea, vomitng, and diarrhea.

Lanthanum carbonate is a prescription medicine used in people with end stage renal disease (ESRD) to lower the amount of phosphate in the blood.

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Lanthanum Carbonate may be found in some form under the following brand names:

• Fosrenol

See "Drug Precautions".

The most common side effects of lanthanum carbonate include:

• nausea
• vomiting
• diarrhea
• stomach pain

Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

These are not all the side effects of lanthanum carbonate. For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Tell your healthcare provider about all of the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Especially tell your healthcare provider if you take:

• antacids. If you take an antacid medicine, take the antacid 2 hours before or 2 hours after you take lanthanum carbonate.
• antibiotics. If you take an antibiotic medicine, take the antibiotic 1 hour before or 4 hours after you take lanthanum carbonate.
• thyroid medicine. If you take medicine for your thyroid (levothyroxine), take the thyroid medicine 2 hours before or 2 hours after you take lanthanum carbonate.

Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine.

Lanthanum carbonate may cause a bowel blockage or severe constipation which can be serious, and sometimes lead to surgery or treatment in a hospital.

You may have a higher risk of bowel blockage or severe constipation if you take lanthanum carbonate and have a history of bowel surgery or colon cancer, history of bowel blockage, decreased movement of your bowel, constipation, or diabetes.

Do not take lanthanum carbonate if you:

• have blocked bowels
• have severe constipation

Lanthanum carbonate has not been studied in children and adolescents under 18 years of age.

Medications can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of lanthanum carbonate, there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving this medication.

Before starting lanthanum carbonate, tell your healthcare provider if you:

• have a history of bowel surgery or colon cancer
• have a history of bowel blockage, ileus or constipation, or diabetes
• have stomach ulcers, ulcerative colitis, or Crohn's disease
• plan to have an x-ray of your stomach (abdomen)
• have any other medical conditions
• are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or plan to breastfeed

Tell your healthcare provider about all of the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

Lanthanum carbonate falls into category C.

No adequate and well-controlled studies have been conducted in pregnant women. The effect of lanthanum carbonate on the absorption of vitamins and other nutrients has not been studied in pregnant women.

In animal studies, pregnant animals were given this medication and had some babies born with problems. Lanthanum carbonate is not recommended for use during pregnancy.

It is not known if lanthanum carbonate crosses into human milk. Because many medications can cross into human milk and because of the possibility for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants with use of this medication, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or stop the use of this medication. Your doctor and you will decide if the benefits outweigh the risk of using lanthanum carbonate.

• Take lanthanum carbonate exactly as prescribed by your healthcare provider.
• Your healthcare provider will tell you how much lanthanum carbonate to take.
• Your healthcare provider may change your dose if needed.
• Do not swallow tablets whole. Chew tablets completely before swallowing. If you cannot chew tablets completely, or if you have tooth disease, you may crush the tablets thoroughly before swallowing.
• Take lanthanum carbonate with or right after meals.
• If you take an antacid medicine, take the antacid 2 hours before or 2 hours after you take lanthanum carbonate.
• If you take medicine for your thyroid (levothyroxine), take the thyroid medicine 2 hours before or 2 hours after you take lanthanum carbonate.
• If you take an antibiotic medicine, take the antibiotic 1 hour before or 4 hours after you take lanthanum carbonate.

Take this medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully.

The dose your doctor recommends may be based on how you respond to the medication and on your serum phosphate level.

The recommended dose range of lanthanum carbonate is 1500 mg and 3000 mg/day.

If you take too much lanthanum carbonate, call your local Poison Control Center or seek emergency medical attention right away.

• Store lanthanum carbonate between 59°F to 86°F (15°C to 30°C).
• Keep lanthanum carbonate tablets dry.

Keep lanthanum carbonate and all medicines out of the reach of children.