Extavia

Extavia is a prescription medication used to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and reduce the frequency of exacerbations of multiple sclerosis. Extavia belongs to a group of drugs called interferons. The way that Extavia works to treat multiple sclerosis is not yet fully understood. 

This medication comes in an injectable form to be injected directly under the skin typically every other day.

Common side effects of Extavia include decreased blood counts, flu-like symptoms, and headache.

Extavia can also cause dizziness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how Extvia affects you.

Extavia is a prescription medication used to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis and reduce the frequency of multiple sclerosis exacerbations.

Extavia will not cure multiple sclerosis (MS), but it has been shown to decrease the number of multiple sclerosis exacerbations that occur per year.

Take this medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully.

The dose your doctor recommends may be based on the following:

• the condition being treated
• other medical conditions you have
• other medications you are taking
• how you respond to this medication
• your weight
• your age

The recommended dose range of Extavia for the treatment of relapsing-form multiple sclerosis is 0.0625 mg to 0.25 mg injected subcutaneously every other day.

Serious side effects have been reported with Extavia including the following:

Depression. Depression is not uncommon in people with multiple sclerosis. Some people who take Extavia become depressed and have thoughts about killing themselves or try to kill themselves. Before you start to take Extavia, tell your doctor if you ever had any mental illness, including depression, or if you take any medicines for depression. While you take Extavia, if you feel noticeably sadder or helpless, or feel like hurting yourself or others, you should tell a family member or friend right away and call your doctor as soon as possible. You may need to stop taking Extavia.

Severe allergic reactions. Some people who take Extavia have severe allergic reactions which can lead to trouble breathing and swallowing. Significant swelling of the mouth and tongue may occur with these severe allergic reactions. These reactions can happen quickly, after your first dose of Extavia, or may not happen until after you have taken Extavia many times. Less severe allergic reactions such as rash, itching, skin bumps or minor swelling of the mouth and tongue can also happen. If you think you are having an allergic reaction, stop taking Extavia right away and call your doctor. Most skin reactions are not serious, but you may need medical treatment if you develop a serious skin reaction. In most cases healing was associated with scarring. If multiple lesions occur, therapy should be discontinued until healing occurs.

Seizures. Some people have had seizures while taking Extavia, including people who have never had seizures before. It is not known if the seizures were related to their MS, to Extavia, or to a combination of both. If you have a seizure after taking Extavia call your healthcare provider right away.

Blood problems. You may have a decrease in the amount of certain blood cells, including white blood cells (blood cells that fight infection), red blood cells (blood cells that carry oxygen to body tissues), or platelets (blood cells that help you form blood clots). If this decrease is severe, your body may be less able to fight infections, you may feel tired or sluggish, or you may bruise or bleed easily. You should discuss with your doctor the need for blood testing to monitor for these problems. Your doctor will arrange for testing your blood at regular intervals to help detect blood, thyroid, liver, or other problems that may develop. These blood tests will be needed even if you do not have any symptoms.

Thyroid problems. Your thyroid function may change whilt taking Extavia. Symptoms of changes in the function of your thyroid include feeling cold or hot most of the time, or a change in your weight (gain or loss) without a change in your diet or amount of exercise you are getting.

Severe general weakness. You may feel excessively or unusually fatigued while taking Extavia. Talk to your doctor about your fatigue if it is persistent and bothersome to you.

Injection site reactions. Extavia may cause redness, pain and/or swelling at the place where an injection was given. Serious skin reactions can happen in some people, including skin infections or areas of severe damage to skin and tissue below the skin. These reactions can happen anywhere you inject Extavia. Call your doctor right away if you have any of these signs of a serious problem at any of your injection sites:

• the area is swollen and painful
• the area looks infected, and does not heal within a few days
• the area has fluid draining from it
• you notice any breaks in your skin or blue-black skin discoloration of your skin along with a break in your skin.

Liver problems including liver failure. Extavia may affect your liver function. Your doctor will do blood tests to check for these problems while you take Extavia. Symptoms of liver problems may include:

• yellowing of your eyes
• itchy skin
• feeling very tired
• flu-like symptoms
• nausea or vomiting
• bruising easily or bleeding problems

Your healthcare provider will do blood tests to check for these problems while you take Extavia.

Do not take Extavia if you:

• have had an allergic reaction such as trouble breathing, skin flushing, or hives, with another interferon beta product, or to human albumin. 
• are allergic to any of the ingredients in Extavia. 

Extavia can also cause dizziness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how Extavia affects you.

Serious side effects have been repoted with Extavia. See the “Extavia Precautions” section.

Common side effects of Extavia include:

• Flu-like symptoms
• Headache
• Increases in muscle tension and/or muscle pain
• Skin rash
• Insomnia
• Stomach pains
• General weakness

This is not a complete list of Extavia side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

No drug interaction studies have been conducted by the manufacturer. However, you should tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Not all drug interactions are known or reported and new drug interactions are continually being reported.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

Extavia falls into category C. In animal studies, pregnant animals were given this medication and had some babies born with problems. No well-controlled studies have been done in humans. Therefore, this medication may be used if the potential benefits to the mother outweigh the potential risks to the unborn child.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

It is not known if Extavia crosses into human milk. Because many medications can cross into human milk and because of the possibility for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants with use of this medication, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or stop the use of this medication. You and your doctor will decide if the benefits outweigh the risk of using Extavia.