Manufacturer: Novartis
Pharmaceutical name: Ketotifen
Pack: 1 pack (30 tabs (1mg))
Zaditen is used as an additional medication for the long-term management of mild atopic asthma in children. It acts as a preventative treatment and is not suitable for the rapid prevention or management of acute asthma attacks. With ongoing use, Zaditen may help diminish the frequency, severity, and duration of asthmatic symptoms or episodes and can potentially lower the daily need for other antiasthmatic medications, such as theophyllines and b2-agonists.
It may take several weeks of therapy with Zaditen before the therapeutic effects are noticeable. Typically, maximum clinical benefit is achieved after about 10 weeks of treatment. Zaditen may exert an anti-inflammatory influence in the lungs, and the onset of its clinical efficacy might correspond to the lungs' recovery from inflammation. Therefore, it is advisable that patients who do not see adequate response within a few weeks continue treatment with ketotifen for at least 2 to 3 months. If discontinuing ketotifen is necessary, it should be done gradually over 2 to 4 weeks, as asthma symptoms may return.
Individuals with hypersensitivity to Zaditen or any of its components should avoid it. Additionally, those who are sensitive to benzoate compounds should not use ketotifen syrup.
Current symptomatic and preventive antiasthmatic therapies (such as xanthine derivatives, b2-agonists, sodium cromoglycate, and corticosteroids) should not be immediately reduced when starting treatment with Zaditen. This is particularly important for systemic corticosteroids and ACTH injections, as there may be a risk of adrenocortical insufficiency in patients dependent on steroids; recovery of normal pituitary-adrenal function after stress can take as long as a year.
Patients may experience drowsiness during the initial stages of treatment; therefore, caution is advised for those engaging in activities that require quick and accurate responses.
Rare instances of a reversible decrease in platelet count have been observed in patients taking Zaditen along with oral antidiabetic medications. Hence, platelet counts should be monitored in patients on these oral antidiabetic drugs.
Zaditen may enhance the effects of sedatives,