Talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse before using Furaginum Hasco, especially if you suffer from:

• kidney problems
• liver dysfunction
• nervous system disorders,
• anemia,
• electrolyte disturbances,
• deficiency of B vitamins and folic acid,
• lung diseases,
• diabetes.

In the above-mentioned In some cases, the use of furazidine increases the risk of nerve damage.

Peripheral nerve damage has been observed in patients treated with nitrofuran derivatives. In severe cases, this disorder may be irreversible and may be life-threatening. Therefore, the patient should stop using Furaginum Hasco if symptoms of nervous system dysfunction (tingling, numbness, feeling of running currents) occur.

If the patient develops fever, chills, cough, chest pain, shortness of breath while taking Furaginum Hasco. These may be signs of acute pulmonary reactions and are seen in patients sometimes treated with nitrofuran derivatives. In the event of such symptoms, treatment should be stopped immediately – these symptoms usually disappear quickly or very quickly after discontinuation of the drug. If the drug has been used for a long time, the severity of symptoms and their improvement after discontinuation of the drug depends on the duration of the treatment continuation after the first undesirable effects. It is essential to recognize the side effect as soon as possible and stop the medication. Lung dysfunction may be irreversible. Chronic reactions have occurred in patients taking furazidine for more than 6 months.

If you use the drug for a long time – you may need blood tests, as well as kidney and liver function tests.

If you develop severe and persistent diarrhea during or after treatment. This could be a symptom of pseudomembranous enteritis, a complication sometimes seen with antibacterial drugs. Contact your doctor as soon as possible and do not take anti-diarrheal medications that inhibit bowel movements.

Furaginum Hasco contains sucrose:

Each tablet contains 14 mg of sucrose. If you have been diagnosed with an intolerance to some sugars, consult your doctor before taking the drug.

Pregnancy and lactation
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.

Furaginum Hasco must not be used in the first three months of pregnancy (1st trimester) or from the 38th week and in childbirth, as furazidine may cause haemolytic anemia in the newborn. Particular caution should be exercised when used in the last three months of pregnancy (third trimester).

Furaginum Hasco should not be used during breastfeeding. Furazidine passes into breast milk and may harm a breastfed baby.
Furazidine contained in Furaginum Hasco may adversely affect the function of the testicles, reducing sperm motility and unfavorable changes in their structure, and reducing the overall amount of ejaculate.

Driving vehicles
There are no data on the effects of furazidine on the ability to drive and use machines. However, some patients may experience side effects that may affect the ability to drive (dizziness, somnolence, visual disturbances).

Overdosage

If you use more than the recommended dose of Furaginum Hasco, nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, allergic reactions, and anemia may occur.

If these symptoms occur, you should immediately contact the emergency department of your nearest hospital as specialist treatment may be required (including gastric lavage and intravenous fluid administration, and in severe cases, hemodialysis). As the drug is eliminated from the body by the kidneys, the risk of overdose is increased in patients with impaired renal function.

Interactions with other drugs

Tell the doctor or pharmacist about all the drugs that the patient is taking now or recently, and about the drugs that the patient is going to take.

Caution should be exercised when the following drugs are used concomitantly:

• quinolone antibiotics (e.g. nalidixic acid, norfloxacin, oxolinic acid) – furazidine inhibits their bacteriostatic effect,
• aminoglycoside antibiotics and tetracyclines – because they increase the antibacterial effect of furazidine,
• chloramphenicol and ristomycin (antibiotics) – increase the toxic effect of furazidine on blood cells,
• drugs that increase the excretion of uric acid, such as probenecid (in high doses) or sulfinpyrazone – they reduce the concentration of furazidine in the urine and may cause its accumulation in the body, reducing the effectiveness of the treatment and increasing its toxicity,
• antacids containing magnesium trisilicate – reduce the absorption of furazidine,
• atropine – delays the absorption of furazidine, but the total amount of the absorbed substance does not change,
• B vitamins – increase the absorption of furazidine.

Impact on laboratory tests

Benedict’s and Fehling’s solutions may lead to false-positive urine glucose results with furazidine. Urine glucose measurements by enzymatic methods are usually normal.

Side effects

Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.

Stop taking this medicine immediately and tell your doctor or go to the nearest hospital if you notice any of the following side effects (occurring rarely, i.e. between 1 and 10 out of 10,000 patients, or with the frequency unknown):

• allergic reactions: itching, urticaria, rash (frequency not known), anaphylactic reactions (sudden local or systemic allergic reactions), angioedema (a disease of the skin and subcutaneous tissue with limited edema) (rare),
• severe skin reactions (exfoliative dermatitis, erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome – bullous erythema multiforme) (rare),
• symptoms of drug-induced hepatitis, cholestatic jaundice (caused by an obstruction in the drainage of the bile), liver necrosis (usually with long-term use) (rare),
• an asthmatic reaction (dyspnoea) in patients with asthma; Respiratory hypersensitivity reactions including (frequency not known):
• acute reactions – manifested by fever, chills, cough, chest pains, shortness of breath – most often disappear quickly after discontinuation of the drug,
• chronic reactions – including changes in the lungs (e.g. pulmonary fibrosis, pneumonia) – the severity of symptoms and their reversibility after drug discontinuation depends on the duration of treatment after the onset of the first adverse effects; upon detection of an undesirable effect, it is necessary to immediately discontinue the drug; lung function impairment may be irreversible
• tingling, numbness, feeling of running currents resulting from damage to peripheral nerves (also acute or irreversible, especially in patients with renal impairment, anemia, diabetes, electrolyte disturbances or vitamin B deficiency) (frequency unknown),
• pseudomembranous enteritis (severe disease of the small or large intestine with symptoms such as diarrhea, headache and fever) (frequency not known)
• cyanosis due to methemoglobinemia; in people with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, the use of furazidine may lead to the development of megaloblastic or haemolytic anemia (frequency unknown).

In addition, the following side effects have been reported in patients taking furazidine:

Common (affects 1 to 10 patients in 100)

• nausea, excessive gas emission,
• headaches.

Unknown frequency of occurrence

• dizziness, sleepiness, visual disturbances
• constipation, diarrhea, indigestion symptoms,
• vomiting, stomach pain, loss of appetite
• inflammation of the salivary glands, inflammation of the pancreas
• alopecia (temporary)
• infections with microorganisms resistant to furazidine,
• fever, chills, malaise.