WHAT IS IN THIS LEAFLET
This leaflet answers some common questions about LanPro.
It does not contain all the available information. It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.
All medicines have risks and benefits. Your doctor has weighed the risks of you taking this medicine against the benefits they expect it will have for you.
If you have any concerns about using this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Keep this leaflet with the medicine.
You may need to read it again.
WHAT LANPRO IS USED FOR
This medicine is used to treat lower raised pressure in the eye and to treat glaucoma. Glaucoma is a condition in which the pressure of fluid in the eye may be high. However, some people with glaucoma may have normal eye pressure.
Glaucoma is usually caused by a build up of the fluid which flows through the eye. This build up occurs because the fluid drains out of your eye more slowly than it is being pumped in. Since new fluid continues to enter the eye, joining the fluid already there, the pressure continues to rise. This raised pressure may damage the back of the eye resulting in gradual loss of sight. Damage can progress so slowly that the person is not aware of this gradual loss of sight. Sometimes even normal eye pressure is associated with damage to the back of the eye. There are usually no symptoms of glaucoma. If glaucoma is not treated it can lead to serious problems, including total blindness. In fact, untreated glaucoma is one of the most common causes of blindness.
It contains the active ingredient latanoprost. Latanoprost belongs to a group of medicines called prostaglandin agonists.
It works by lowering the pressure in the eye by allowing more fluid to flow out from within your eye.
Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why this medicine has been prescribed for you.
Your doctor may have prescribed it for another reason.
This medicine is not addictive.
This medicine is available only with a doctor's prescription.
LanPro is not recommended for use in children.
Safety and effectiveness in children has not been established.
BEFORE YOU USE LANPRO
When you must not use it
Do not use this medicine if you have an allergy to:
- latanoprost, the active ingredient, or to any of the other ingredients listed at the end of this leaflet under Product Description
- any other similar medicines.
Some of the symptoms of an allergic reaction may include:
- shortness of breath
- wheezing or difficulty breathing
- swelling of the face, lips, tongue or other parts of the body
- rash, itching or hives on the skin
- fainting.
Do not use this medicine after the expiry date printed on the pack or if the packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering.
If it has expired or is damaged, return it to your pharmacist for disposal.
If you are not sure whether you should start taking this medicine, talk to your doctor.
Before you start to take it
Tell your doctor if you have allergies to any other medicines, foods, preservatives or dyes.
Tell your doctor if you have or have had any of the following medical conditions:
- severe asthma
- any other types of glaucoma or eye conditions.
- Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant or are breastfeeding.
Your doctor can discuss with you the risks and benefits involved.
If you have not told your doctor about any of the above, tell him/her before you start using LanPro.
Taking other medicines
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are using any other medicines, including any that you get without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop.
Some medicines and LanPro may interfere with each other. These include:
- eye drops which contain an ingredient called thiomersal. If using such eye drops as well as LanPro, you should wait at least 5 minutes between using these eye drops and LanPro.
- some other eye drops that contain a prostaglandin. The use of two or more prostaglandin eye drops at the same time is not recommended.
These medicines may be affected by LanPro or may affect how well it works. You may need different amounts of your medicines, or you may need to use different medicines.
Your doctor and pharmacist have more information on medicines to be careful with or avoid while using this medicine.
HOW TO USE LANPRO
Follow all directions given to you by your doctor or pharmacist carefully.
They may differ from the information contained in this leaflet.
If you do not understand the instructions, ask your doctor or pharmacist for help.
If you are being changed from one eye drop to another, follow your doctor's instructions carefully as to when to stop the old drops and when to start the new drops
How much to use
The usual dose of LanPro is one drop into the affected eye, or eyes, once daily.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you are unsure of the correct dose for you.
They will tell you exactly how much to take.
Follow the instructions they give you.
If you take the wrong dose, LanPro may not work as well and your problem may not improve.
How to use it
If you are wearing soft contact lenses, remove them before putting the drops in your eye.
The preservative in LanPro (benzalkonium chloride) may be deposited in soft contact lenses. You can put your soft contact lenses back into your eyes 15 minutes after you have used LanPro.
If using other eye drops in addition to LanPro, wait at least 5 minutes before putting any other drops in your eye(s). Be careful not to touch the dropper tip against your eye, eyelid or anything else.
Touching the dropper tip against something may contaminate the eye drops and give you an eye infection. You may find it easier to put drops in your eye while you are sitting or lying down.
- Wash your hands well with soap and water.
- Twist off the protective overcap from the bottle.
- Unscrew the inner cap.
- Use your finger to gently pull down the lower eyelid of your affected eye.
- Tilt your head back and look up.
- Place the tip of the bottle close to but not touching your eye. Squeeze the bottle gently so that only one drop goes into your eye, and then release the lower eyelid. Close your eye. Do not blink or rub your eye.
- While your eye is closed, place your index finger against the inside corner of your eye and press against your nose for about two minutes. This will help to stop the medicine from draining through the tear duct to the nose and throat, from where it can be absorbed into other parts of your body. Ask your doctor for more specific instructions on this technique.
- Screw the inner cap back on the bottle.
- Wash your hands again with soap and water to remove any residue.
You may feel a slight burning sensation in the eye shortly after using the eye drops.
If this persists, or is very uncomfortable, contact your doctor or pharmacist.
When to take LanPro
Use your medicine at about the same time each day preferably in the evening, unless your doctor tells you otherwise.
Using your eye drops at the same time each day will have the best effect on your eye pressure. It will also help you remember when to use the eye drops.
How long to use LanPro
Continue using your medicine for as long as your doctor tells you.
This medicine helps to control your condition, but does not cure it. It is important to keep taking your medicine even if you feel well.
If you forget to use it
Take your dose as soon as you remember, and continue to take it as you would normally.
If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the dose you missed and take your next dose when you are meant to.
Do not use double the amount to make up for the dose that you missed.
This may increase the chance of you getting an unwanted side effect.
If you are not sure what to do, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
If you have trouble remembering to take your medicine, ask your pharmacist for some hints.
If you use too much (overdose)
If you accidentally put several drops in your eye, immediately rinse your eye in warm water.
Immediately telephone your doctor or the Poisons Information Centre (telephone Australia 13 11 26 or New Zealand 0800 POISON or 0800 764766) for advice, or go to Accident and Emergency at the nearest hospital, if you think that you or anyone else may have taken too much LanPro. Do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning.
You may need urgent medical attention.
WHILE YOU ARE USING LANPRO
Things you must do
To make sure LanPro is working properly, have your eye pressure checked regularly. Have your eyes checked regularly for any other changes, including a change in eye colour.
A slow change in eye colour, which may be permanent, has been reported to occur in some patients who use LanPro. Your doctor will decide whether you should continue using LanPro.
If you develop an eye infection, receive an eye injury, or have eye surgery tell your doctor.
Your doctor may tell you to use a new container of LanPro because of possible contamination of the old one, or may advise you to stop your treatment with Latanoprost
If you are about to be started on any new medicine, remind your doctor and pharmacist that you are using LanPro.
Tell any other doctors, dentists, and pharmacists who treat you that you are taking this medicine.
If you become pregnant while taking this medicine, tell your doctor immediately.
Things you must not do
Do not use LanPro to treat any other complaints unless your doctor tells you to.
Do not give your medicine to anyone else, even if they have the same condition as you.
Do not stop using your medicine without checking with your doctor.
If you stop using your eye drops, your eye pressures may rise again and damage to your eye may occur.
Things to be careful of
Be careful driving or operating machinery until you know how LanPro affects you.
LanPro generally does not cause any problems with your ability to drive a car or operate machinery. However, it may cause blurred vision in some people. Make sure you know how you react to LanPro or that your vision is clear before driving a car or operating machinery.
SIDE EFFECTS
Tell your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are taking LanPro.
All medicines can have side effects. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time they are not. You may need medical attention if you get some of the side effects.
Do not be alarmed by the following lists of side effects. You may not experience any of them.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist to answer any questions you may have.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you notice any of the following and they worry you:
- a slow change in eye colour over a period of time. The iris may become more brown in colour and appear darker. This change may be permanent and more noticeable if you are only being treated in one eye
- blurred vision, double vision or other visual problems
- irritation or feeling of having something in the eye. This may be worse during the first two or three days of using LanPro.
- eye pain
- dry eye
- redness, burning or watering of the eye/s
- discharge, itching of the eye/s, crusty eyelashes
- darkening, thickening, lengthening or an increase in the number of eye lashes and the fine hair on the eyelids.
- misdirected eyelashes sometimes causing eye irritation
- darkening of the skin of the eyelids
- crusting, redness, thickening, itching or burning of the eyelids
- sensitivity to light
- skin rash
- headache
- muscle/joint pain
- painful, urgent or frequent urination.
If any of the following happen, tell your doctor immediately or go to Accident and Emergency at your nearest hospital:
- wheezing, difficulty in breathing (asthma or worsening of asthma)
- shortness of breath
- chest pain
- dizziness
- swelling of the face, lips, mouth, tongue or throat which may cause difficulty in swallowing or breathing.
The above list includes serious side effects that may require urgent medical attention. Serious side effects are rare.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you notice anything else that is making you feel unwell.
Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some people.
AFTER USING LANPRO
Storage
Keep your medicine in the original container.
Before opening LanPro, keep your medicine in its box in a refrigerator (2°C - 8°C) protected from light.
After opening LanPro, keep your medicine in its box in a cool place where the temperature stays below 25°C, but do not refrigerate. Keep the box properly closed and protected from light.
Do not store LanPro or any other medicine in the bathroom or near a sink. Do not leave it on a window sill or in the car.
Heat and dampness can destroy some medicines.
Put the top back on the bottle right away after use to avoid contaminating the eye drops.
Keep it where children cannot reach it.
A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines.
Disposal
Write the date on the bottle when you open the eye drops and throw out any remaining solution after four weeks.
Open a new bottle every 4 weeks.
Eye drops contain a preservative, which helps prevent germs growing in the solution for the first four weeks after opening the bottle. After this time there is a greater risk that the drops may become contaminated and cause an eye infection.
If your doctor tells you to stop using this medicine or the expiry date has passed, ask your pharmacist what to do with any medicine that is left over.
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
What it looks like
Your LanPro eye drops come in a plastic bottle with a dropper and screw cap inside a protective overcap. Remove the overcap before use.
When you first receive your LanPro polyethylene bottle, it will appear half full. This corresponds to 2.5mL of clear colourless eye drop solution, giving a minimum of 80 drops. This volume is enough to last 4 weeks if used in both eyes.
Ingredients
Active ingredients:
- LanPro 50 micrograms/mL - 50 micrograms latanoprost
Each drop contains about 1.5 micrograms of latanoprost.
Inactive ingredients:
- sodium chloride
- monobasic dihydrate sodium phosphate
- dibasic sodium phosphate
- water for injections
- benzalkonium chloride (as a preservative).
This medicine does not contain lactose, sucrose, gluten, tartrazine or any other azo dyes.
Supplier
Juno Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd
Level 2, 6 Bond Street,
South Yarra,
VIC – 3141
This leaflet was created in July-2017.
Australian Register Number(s)
50 micrograms/mL Eye Drops: AUST 280417