Details

Voriconazole is an antifungal medicine. Voriconazole is used to treat infections caused by yeast or other types of fungus. To make sure voriconazole is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have heart rhythm problems, heart failure, slow heartbeats that have caused you to faint a personal or family history of long QT syndrome an electrolyte imbalance (such as low levels of calcium, potassium, or magnesium in your blood) liver disease kidney disease a history of allergy to other antifungal medicines such as fluconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole, or posaconazole. Voriconazole tablets contain lactose. Before taking a voriconazole tablet, tell your doctor if you have a hereditary form of galactose intolerance, Lapp lactase deficiency, or glucose-galactose malabsorption. Voriconazole should not be used in pregnancy. Voriconazole should not be given to a child younger than 12 years old.

Typical Uses

Voriconazole is an antifungal. It stops the growth of some fungus and yeast. This medicine is used to treat many kinds of fungal infections.

Side Effects

Common voriconazole side effects may include changes in your colour vision headache with chest pain and severe dizziness, fainting, fast or pounding heartbeats slow heart rate, weak pulse, fainting, slow breathing bone pain severe pain in your upper stomach spreading to your back, vomiting kidney problems-little or no urinating painful or difficult urination swelling in your feet or ankles feeling tired or short of breath liver problems-nausea, upper stomach pain, itching, tired feeling, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-coloured stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes) or severe skin reaction-fever, sore throat, swelling in your face or tongue, burning in your eyes, skin pain, followed by a red or purple skin rash that spreads (especially in the face or upper body) and causes blistering and peeling.

Drug Interactions

• Voriconazole+apixaban- Talk to your doctor before using apixaban together with voriconazole. Combining these medications can significantly elevate the blood levels of apixaban and increase the risk of bleeding. Your doctor may be able to prescribe alternatives that do not interact, or you may need a dose adjustment or more frequent monitoring by your doctor to safely use both medications.
• Voriconazole+amiodarone- Talk to your doctor before using amiodarone together with voriconazole. Combining these medications may significantly increase the blood levels and effects of amiodarone. High blood levels of amiodarone can occasionally cause an irregular heart rhythm that may be serious.
• Voriconazole+bexarotene- Using bexarotene together with voriconazole may increase the risk of pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns.
• Voriconazole+ergotamine- Using ergotamine together with voriconazole is not recommended. Combining these medications may significantly increase the blood levels and effects of ergotamine, which in some cases can lead to excessive narrowing of blood vessels in the body. This can reduce blood flow to vital organs and increase the risk of rare but serious side effects such as high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and gangrene (death of tissues, usually in the arm or leg that may require surgical amputation).
• Voriconazole+dicumarol- Using dicumarol together with voriconazole can cause you to bleed more easily. You may need a dose adjustment in addition to testing of your

  Mechanism of action

  Voriconazole acts mainly by preventing the growth of fungi. It interacts with chemicals (cytochrome P-450) inside the fungus and prevents the synthesis of an essential component of fungal cell membrane (ergosterol) this results in increased cellular permeability causing leakage of cellular contents from fungal cell, ultimately preventing fungal growth.

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