After two patients who had been taking the drug desmopressin died, the FDA has issued a warning that the drug may put children at risk for seizures and death. In addition to the two deaths, the FDA has received 61 post-market reports of seizures in desmopressin patients.
Desmopressin is an antidiuretic that comes in both pill form and as a nasal spray. The drug acts in the kidneys to reduce the amount of urine produced at night.
It is currently unclear whether the use of desmopressin caused the two patients’ deaths or any of the other seizures.
In addition to prescriptions for bed-wetting, the drug can be used to control bleeding due to surgery, injuries, or menstral periods in patients with certain diseases (hemophilia A or type 1 von Willebrand disease).
The FDA has issued the following advice to patients currently taking desmopressin:
- Tell your doctor about all drugs you are currently taking.
- Tell your doctor if you have a history of hyponatremia.
- Supervise the use of intranasal desmopressin in children.
- Restrict fluid intake from one hour before to eight hours after taking desmopressin.
- Call the doctor immediately if the patient’s water intake changes.
- Call the doctor immediately if hyponatremia symptoms occur.
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