Macrilen

Macrilen is a prescription medication used to diagnose adult growth hormone deficiency.

Macrilen belongs to a group of drugs called growth hormone secretagogue agonist. These work by stimulating growth hormone release.

This medication comes in oral solution form and is given one time by a healthcare provider.

Common side effects of Macrilen include distortion of taste, dizziness, and headache. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how Macrilen affects you.

Macrilen is a prescription medication used to diagnose adult growth hormone deficiency.

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

Serious side effects have been reported with Macrilen. See the “Macrilen Precautions” section.

Common side effects of Macrilen include the following:

• distortion of taste
• dizziness
• headache
• tiredness
• nausea
• hunger
• diarrhea
• infection of the upper respiratory tract
• feeling hot
• excessive sweating
• cold
• slower heart rate

This is not a complete list of Macrilen side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor if you have any side effects that bother you or that do not go away.

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

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:

• growth hormone medications such as somatotropin
• drugs that can cause an arrhythmia called Torsades des Point such as
  • certain anti-arrhythmia medications including procainamide, sotalol (Betapace), quinidine, dofetilide (Tikosyn), amiodarone (Nexterone, Pacerone, Cordarone), ibutilide (Corvert)
  • certain fluoroquinolone antibiotics including levofloxacin (Levaquin), ciprofloxacin (Cipro), gatifloxacin (Zymar), moxifloxacin (Avelox)
  • certain macrolide antibiotics including clarithromycin (Biaxin), erythromycin (EES, others)
  • certain azole antifungals including ketoconazole (Nizoral), itraconazole (Sporanox, Onmel)
  • certain antidepressants including amitriptyline, desipramine (Norpramin), imipramine (Tofranil), doxepin (Silenor), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem, Symbyax), sertraline (Zoloft), venlafaxine (Effexor XR)
  • certain antipsychotics including haloperidol (Haldol), droperidol (Inapsine), quetiapine (Seroquel XR), thioridazine, ziprasidone (Geodon)
  • and other medications including cisapride, sumatriptan (Treximet, Imitrex, Alsuma, Zecuity), zolmitriptan (Zomig, arsenic trioxide (Trisenox), dolasetron (Anzemet), and methadone (Methadone, Dolophine)
• medications that increase the activity of the enzyme CYP3A4 such as carbamazepine (Tegretol, Equetro, Carbatrol), phenobarbital, phenytoin (Dilantin), rifampin (Rifadin), and St John's wort
• drugs that affect growth hormone release including insulin, somatostatin, steroids, aspirin, indomethacin, clonidine, levodopa, atropine, and propylthiouracil.

This is not a complete list of Macrilen drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Serious side effects have been reported with Macrilen including the following: 

• QT prolongation. This is a condition when changes in the electrical activity of your heart occur, causing irregular heartbeats that can be life-threatening. Talk to your healthcare provider about other medicines you are taking before you start taking Macrilen. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any signs or symptoms of QT prolongation including feeling faint, lightheadedness, dizziness, and feeling like your heart is beating irregularly or quickly
• a possibility of false positive Macrilen test results when taken with medications that increase the activity of the enzyme CYP3A4 such as carbamazepine (Tegretol, Equetro, Carbatrol), phenobarbital, phenytoin (Dilantin), rifampin (Rifadin), and St John's wort. Your healthcare provider may have you discontinue these medications for a short period before Macrilen testing.
• a possibility of false negative Macrilen test results in patients with recent onset hypothalamic disease. Your healthcare provider may repeat testing.

Macrilen can cause dizziness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how Macrilen affects you.

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 Macrilen, there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving this medication.

Before taking Macrilen, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions. Especially tell your doctor if you:

• are allergic to Macrilen or to any of its ingredients
• have any deficiency in testosterone, progesterone, or estrogen
• have thyroid problems
• have any adrenal or immune system issues
• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant
• are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed

Tell your doctor about all 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.

No studies have been done in animals, and no well-controlled studies have been done in pregnant women. Since Macrilen is given as one dose, this limits the risk of adverse effects on the fetus when used in pregnant women.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

It is not known if Macrilen 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 Macrilen.

Macrilen comes in oral solution form and is taken one time in an office visit.

Macrilen is given to patients who have fasted for at least 8 hours. It is given by a healthcare professional.

Certain medications may need to be stopped for a short period of time before taking Macrilen.

The recommended dose of Macrilen is based on weight. Your healthcare provider will determine the right dose of Macrilen for you and give it to you in their office.

If Macrilen is administered by a healthcare provider in a medical setting, it is unlikely that an overdose will occur. However, if overdose is suspected, seek emergency medical attention.

• Your healthcare provider will have to draw blood samples for labs at 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 60 minutes, and 90 minutes after you receive Macrilen.