PRECAUTIONS
General: For injection use only.
DDAVP Injection (desmopressin acetate) 4 mcg/mL has infrequently produced
changes in blood pressure causing either a slight elevation in blood pressure
or a transient fall in blood pressure and a compensatory increase in heart rate.
The drug should be used with caution in patients with coronary artery insufficiency
and/or hypertensive cardiovascular disease.
DDAVP (desmopressin acetate) should be used with caution in patients with conditions associated with fluid and electrolyte imbalance, such as cystic fibrosis, heart failure and renal disorders, because these patients are prone to hyponatremia.
There have been rare reports of thrombotic events following DDAVP Injection (desmopressin acetate injection)
4 mcg/mL in patients predisposed to thrombus formation. No causality has been
determined, however, the drug should be used with caution in these patients.
Severe allergic reactions have been reported rarely. Anaphylaxis has been reported
rarely with intravenous and intranasal DDAVP, including isolated cases of fatal
anaphylaxis with intravenous DDAVP. It is not known whether antibodies to DDAVP
Injection 4 mcg/mL are produced after repeated injections.
Hemophilia A: Laboratory tests for assessing patient status include
levels of factor VIII coagulant, factor VIII antigen and factor VIII ristocetin
cofactor (von Willebrand factor) as well as activated partial thromboplastin
time. Factor VIII coagulant activity should be determined before giving DDAVP
for hemostasis. If factor VIII coagulant activity is present at less than 5%
of normal, DDAVP should not be relied on.
von Willebrand's Disease: Laboratory tests for assessing patient status
include levels of factor VIII coagulant activity, factor VIII ristocetin cofactor
activity, and factor VIII von Willebrand factor antigen. The skin bleeding time
may be helpful in following these patients.
Diabetes Insipidus: Laboratory tests for monitoring the patient include urine volume and osmolality. In some cases, plasma osmolality may be required.
Carcinogenicity, Mutagenicity, Impairment of Fertility: Studies with
DDAVP have not been performed to evaluate carcinogenic potential, mutagenic
potential or effects on fertility.
Pregnancy Category B: Fertility studies have not been done. Teratology
studies in rats and rabbits at doses from 0.05 to 10 mcg/kg/day (approximately
0.1 times the maximum systemic human exposure in rats and up to 38 times the
maximum systemic human exposure in rabbits based on surface area, mg/m2)
revealed no harm to the fetus due to DDAVP. There are, however, no adequate
and well controlled studies in pregnant women. Because animal reproduction studies
are not always predictive of human response, this drug should be used during
pregnancy only if clearly needed.
Several publications of desmopressin acetate's use in the management of diabetes insipidus during pregnancy are available; these include a few anecdotal reports of congenital anomalies and low birth weight babies. However, no causal connection between these events and desmopressin acetate has been established. A fifteen year, Swedish epidemiologic study of the use of desmopressin acetate in pregnant women with diabetes insipidus found the rate of birth defects to be no greater than that in the general population; however, the statistical power of this study is low. As opposed to preparations containing natural hormones, desmopressin acetate in antidiuretic doses has no uterotonic action and the physician will have to weigh the therapeutic advantages against the possible risks in each case.
Nursing Mothers: There have been no controlled studies in nursing mothers.
A single study in postpartum women demonstrated a marked change in plasma, but
little if any change in assayable DDAVP in breast milk following an intranasal
dose of 10 mcg. It is not known whether this drug is excreted in human milk.
Because many drugs are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when
DDAVP is administered to a nursing woman.
Pediatric Use: Use in infants and pediatric patients will require careful
fluid intake restriction to prevent possible hyponatremia and water intoxication.
Fluid restriction should be discussed with the patient and/or guardian. (See
WARNINGS.) DDAVP Injection (desmopressin acetate injection) 4 mcg/mL should not be used in infants
less than three months of age in the treatment of hemophilia A or von Willebrand's
disease; safety and effectiveness in pediatric patients under 12 years of age
with diabetes insipidus have not been established.
Geriatric Use: Clinical studies of DDAVP Injection (desmopressin acetate injection) did not include sufficient
numbers of subjects aged 65 and over to determine whether they respond differently
from younger subjects. Other reported clinical experience has not identified
differences in responses between the elderly and younger patients. In general,
dose selection should be cautious, usually starting at the low end of the dosing
range, reflecting the greater frequency of decreased hepatic, renal, or cardiac
function, and of concomitant disease or other drug therapy.
This drug is known to be substantially excreted by the kidney, and the risk
of toxic reactions to this drug may be greater in patients with impaired renal
function. Because elderly patients are more likely to have decreased renal function,
care should be taken in dose selection, and it may be useful to monitor renal
function. DDAVP is contraindicated in patients with moderate to severe renal
impairment (defined as a creatinine clearance below 50ml/min). (See CLINICAL
PHARMACOLOGY, Human Pharmacokinetics and CONTRAINDICATIONS
)
Use of DDAVP injection (desmopressin acetate injection) in geriatric patients will require careful fluid intake
restrictions to prevent possible hyponatremia and water intoxication. Fluid
restriction should be discussed with the patient. (See WARNINGS.)