Terbinafine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands

Common (greater than 2% of patients treated with terbinafine tablets) reported adverse events include headache, diarrhea, rash, dyspepsia, liver enzyme abnormalities, pruritus, taste disturbance, nausea, abdominal pain, and flatulence. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Amici Pharma, Inc. at 1-866-760-2646 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. The most frequently reported adverse events observed in the 3 U.S./Canadian placebo-controlled trials are listed in the Table 1. The adverse events reported encompass gastrointestinal symptoms (including diarrhea, dyspepsia, and abdominal pain), liver test abnormalities, rashes, urticaria, pruritus, and taste disturbances. Changes in the ocular lens and retina have been reported following the use of terbinafine in controlled trials. The clinical significance of these changes is unknown. In general, the adverse events were mild, transient, and did not lead to discontinuation from study participation. Table 1. Most frequently reported adverse events observed in the 3 U.S./Canadian placebo-controlled trials * Liver enzyme…

Chronic or active liver disease. (4) History of allergic reaction to oral terbinafine because of the risk of anaphylaxis. (4) Terbinafine tablets are contraindicated in patients with: Chronic or active liver disease [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] History of allergic reaction to oral terbinafine because of the risk of anaphylaxis [see Adverse Reactions (6.2) ] .

Terbinafine is an inhibitor of CYP450 2D6 isozyme and has an effect on metabolism of desipramine. Drug interactions have also been noted with cimetidine, fluconazole, cyclosporine, rifampin, and caffeine. ( 7.1 ) 7.1 Drug-Drug Interactions In vivo studies have shown that terbinafine is an inhibitor of the CYP450 2D6 isozyme. Drugs predominantly metabolized by the CYP450 2D6 isozyme include the following drug classes: tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, beta-blockers, antiarrhythmics class 1C (e.g., flecainide and propafenone) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors Type B. Coadministration of terbinafine tablets should be done with careful monitoring and may require a reduction in dose of the 2D6-metabolized drug. In a study to assess the effects of terbinafine on desipramine in healthy volunteers characterized as normal metabolizers, the administration of terbinafine resulted in a 2-fold increase in C max and a 5-fold increase in area under the curve (AUC). In this study, these effects were shown to persist at the last observation at 4 weeks after discontinuation of terbinafine tablets. In studies in healthy subjects characterized as extensive metabolizers of dextromethorphan (antitussive drug and CYP2D6 probe substrate), terbinafine increases the dextromethorphan/dextrorphan metabolite ratio in urine by 16- to 97-fold on average. Thus, terbinafine may convert extensive CYP2D6 metabolizers to poor metabolizer status. In vitro studies with human liver microsomes showed that terbinafine does not inhibit the metabolism of tolbutamide, ethinylestradiol, ethoxycoumarin, cyclosporine, cisapride and fluvastatin. In vivo drug-drug interaction studies conducted in healthy volunteer subjects showed that terbinafine does not affect the clearance of antipyrine or digoxin. Terbinafine decreases the clearance of caffeine by 19%. Terbinafine increases the clearance of cyclosporine by 15%. The influence of terbinafine on the pharmacokinetics of fluconazole, cotrimoxazole (trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole), zidovudine or theophylline was not considered to be clinically significant. Coadministration of a single dose of fluconazole (100 mg) with a single dose of terbinafine resulted in a 52% and 69% increase in terbinafine C max and AUC, respectively. Fluconazole is an inhibitor of CYP2C9 and CYP3A enzymes. Based on this finding, it is likely that other inhibitors of both CYP2C9 and CYP3A4 (e.g., ketoconazole, amiodarone) may also lead to a substantial increase in the systemic exposure (C max and AUC) of terbinafine when concomitantly administered. There have been spontaneous reports of increase or decrease in prothrombin times in patients concomitantly taking oral terbinafine and warfarin, however, a causal relationship between terbinafine tablets and these changes has not been established. Terbinafine clearance is increased 100% by rifampin, a CYP450 enzyme inducer, and decreased 33% by cimetidine, a CYP450 enzyme inhibitor. Terbinafine clearance is unaffected by cyclosporine. There is no information available from adequate drug-drug interaction studies with the following classes of drugs: oral contraceptives, hormone replacement therapies, hypoglycemics, phenytoins, thiazide diuretics, and calcium channel blockers. 7.2 Food Interactions An evaluation of the effect of food on terbinafine tablets was conducted. An increase of less than 20% of the AUC of terbinafine was observed when terbinafine tablets were administered with food. Terbinafine tablets can be taken with or without food.