Treatment with Retacrit must be started under the supervision of doctors who have experience in the management of patients with the conditions that the medicine is used for.
For patients with kidney problems, Retacrit can be injected into a vein or under the skin. For patients receiving chemotherapy, it must be injected under the skin, and for patients about to undergo surgery, it must be injected into a vein. The dose, the frequency of injection and how long Retacrit is used for depend on why it is being used, and are adjusted according to the patient?s response. For patients with chronic renal failure or receiving chemotherapy, haemoglobin levels should remain within the recommended range (between 10 and 12 grams per decilitre in adults and between 9.5 and 11 g/dl in children). Haemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen around the body. The lowest dose that provides adequate control of symptoms should be used.
The iron levels of all patients should be checked before treatment to make sure that they are not too low, and iron supplements should be used throughout treatment. Retacrit can be injected under the skin by the patient or their carer if they have been trained appropriately. For full details, see the Package Leaflet.