General Information on Retavase
Retavaseis the brand name of retaplase, a drug given for dissolving blood clots. This medication belongs to the thrombolytic class of drugs.
Retavase finds its use in treatments for improving heart function and for preventing congestive heart failure. This medication is also very effective in the prevention of fatalities due to a heart attack.
Retavase may also be used for other medical conditions or for different purposes, but only if it has been specifically prescribed by a doctor after appropriately evaluating the patient’s condition.
Side effects of Retavase
You cannot buy Retavase if you have previously had an allergy to retaplase. Retavase is also not suitable for patients suffering from a brain tumor, aneurysm, bleeding disorder, uncontrollable hypertension, or those with a history of blood clots or strokes and others who have recently undergone a major surgery or suffered from a major injury or bleeding.
You must notify your doctor at once if you begin to experience severe side effects after taking Retavase. These severe side effects include sudden weakness and numbness, vision or speech problems, confusion, sudden and extreme cough, chest pain, rapid breathing, wheezing, abnormally slow or fast pulse, purple discoloration or darkening of the toes and fingers, traces of blood in the stools and urine, uncontrollable and unstoppable bleeding, easy bruising, and pale skin.
Retavase is known to cause some common but mild side effects. These side effects wane over time, but you may need to talk to your doctor if these side effects turn severe or if they do not disappear even after a long time.
Dosage of Retavase
The dosage of Retavase will be determined by your doctor based on your medical condition. The prescribed dosage may vary if you have the following medical conditions- liver disease, eye problems caused by diabetes, kidney disease, bacterial endocarditis (a bacterial infection that affects the lining of the heart), or if you’ve recently suffered from an injury or major bleeding or had a surgery.
Retavase may be dangerous to the fetus if this medication is taken during a pregnancy. You must tell your doctor about your pregnancy when you are being evaluated before taking Retavase. This medication is available in the form of a sterile powder stored in vials. You may buy Retavase in 2 packages- Retavase Kit and Retavase Half-Kit. The Kit contains 2 single use vials containing 18.1mg Retavase, while the Half-Kit contains only one single use vial.
Retavase is administered as an intravenous, double bolus injection. The first bolus is injected intravenously over a period of 2 minutes. The second bolus is then administered after at least 30 minutes have passed since the first bolus was given. Since this medication is given intravenously, you would receive it in a doctor’s clinic or in a hospital.
Retavase may interfere with the results of certain medical checkups and tests. You need to inform your doctor about your Retavase administration before such tests are performed.
Interactions
Retavase is known to interact with several medications and cause serious side effects as a result. Some medications that interact with Retavase include blood thinners, other medications that prevent blood clots, and aspirin.
Pharmacist Notes: Each kit contains 2 vials of 10.4 U of powder, 2 10ml sterile syringes, 2 10ml sterile water for injection, and 4 sterile needles (21G)
