ADAP drugs: paromomycin

paromomycin (Humatin)

Drug description

Paromomycin is used to treat diarrhea in people who are infected with cryptosporidiosis (crypto) or intestinal amoebiasis. Cryptosporidiosis is caused by a tiny organism which invades the intestinal tract. Crypto is one of the most common and certainly the most devastating gastrointestinal infection in people with HIV. Infection can occur with T4 cell counts under 100. The severity and duration of crypto are directly dependent on the immune status of the person infected. The primary symptom is diarrhea, which is profuse, watery, non-bloody, and often chronic. Infection is often accompanied by accelerated weight loss, as much as 20-30 percent of total body weight within a few weeks. Vomiting and crampy abdominal pain, at times severe, occur frequently as the illness persists. Anorexia, flatulence, and muscle aches occur, but fever is unusual. A recent study found that although cryptosporidiosis can sometimes get better on it's own, treatment with paromomycin was no better than a placebo or dummy pill.

Side effects
Adverse GI effects of paromomycin include anorexia, nausea, vomiting, gastric burning and pain, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea.

Dosage
Paromomycin is taken orally, usually with or after meals. For treatment of intestinal amoebiasis, the usual dose in adults and children is 25-35 mg/kg daily in 3 divided doses.

How long it may take to work
Treatment is for 5-10 days.

Managing side effects
In addition to drug therapy, nutrition therapy includes increasing fluids, avoiding coffee, caffeine-containing sodas and alcohol, eating small frequent meals, and reducing roughage, dairy products and fats. Your nutrition may need to be supported with dietary supplements or intravenous feeding during episodes of chronic diarrhea and weight loss.

This information is specific to the use of this medication for HIV-related conditions. For additional information about this drug for other conditions, refer to: www.nursespdr.com/ and www.healthanswers.com/Library/library_fset.asp

The drug descriptions on these pages are intended for informational purposes only. The Network does not promote or endorse the use of any specific treatment for any health-related condition. The medications described here can only be dispensed by a licensed health care professional. The information may have changed since these pages were updated, though every effort is made to keep these pages current. Please contact The Network at (800) 734-7104 to make sure you have the most up-to-date information

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