Sevelamer carbonate is used to control hyperphosphataemia (high blood phosphate levels) in:

• adult patients on dialysis (a blood clearance technique). It can be used in patients undergoing haemodialysis (using a blood filtration machine) or peritoneal dialysis (where fluid is pumped into the abdomen and an internal body membrane filters the blood);
• patients with chronic (long-term) kidney disease who are not on dialysis and have a serum (blood) phosphorus level equal to or above 1.78 mmol/l.

Sevelamer carbonate should be used with other treatments such as calcium supplements and vitamin D to prevent the development of bone disease.

You must take Sevelamer carbonate as prescribed by your doctor. They will base the dose on the level of phosphorus in your blood. The recommended starting dose of Sevelamer carbonate tablets for adults and the elderly (> 65 years) is one to two tablets of 800 mg with each meal, 3 times a day.

Check with your doctor, pharmacist or nurse if you are not sure.

The tablets must be swallowed whole. Do not crush, chew or break into pieces.

Initially, your doctor will check the levels of phosphorus in your blood every 2-4 weeks and may adjust the dose of Sevelamer carbonate when necessary to reach an adequate phosphate level. Patients taking Sevelamer carbonate should adhere to their prescribed diets.

Tell your doctor if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines.

• Sevelamer carbonate should not be taken at the same time as ciprofloxacin (an antibiotic).
• If you are taking medicines for heart rhythm problems or for epilepsy, you should consult your doctor when taking Sevelamer carbonate.
• The effects of medicines such as ciclosporin, mycophenolate mofetil and tacrolimus (medicines used to suppress the immune system) may be reduced by Sevelamer carbonate. Your doctor will advise you if you are taking these medicines.
• Thyroid hormone deficiency may uncommonly be observed in certain people taking levothyroxine (used to treatment low thyroid hormone levels) and Sevelamer carbonate. Therefore your doctor may monitor the levels of thyroid stimulating hormone in your blood more closely.
• Medicines treating heartburn and reflux from your stomach or oesophagus, such as omeprazole, pantoprazole or lansoprazole (known as “proton pump inhibitors”), may reduce the effectiveness of Sevelamer carbonate. Your doctor may monitor the phosphate level in your blood.

Your doctor will check for interactions between Sevelamer carbonate and other medicines on a regular basis.

In some cases where Sevelamer carbonate should be taken at the same time as another medicine, your doctor may advise you to take this medicine 1 hour before or 3 hours after Sevelamer carbonate. Your doctor may also consider monitoring the levels of that medicine in your blood.

Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. Tell your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible if you experience the following:

• Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people): – constipation, which may be an early sign of a blockage in your intestine
• Very rare (may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people): – severe allergic reactions, including swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat, causing difficulty breathing or swallowing.
• Not known: – severe abdominal pain with blood in the stools or vomiting, which may be signs of a perforation in the intestine wall – severe bloating; abdominal pain, swelling or cramps; severe constipation, which may be signs of a blockage in the intestine.

Other side effects reported in patients taking sevelamer carbonate:

Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people):

• vomiting
• upper abdominal pain
• nausea.

Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people):

• diarrhoea
• abdominal pain
• indigestion
• flatulence.

Not known (frequency cannot be estimated from the available data):

• itching
• rash
• slow intestine motility (movement).

Do not take Sevelamer carbonate if:

• you are allergic to the active substance.
• you have low levels of phosphate in your blood
• you have bowel obstruction

Warnings and precautions

Talk to your doctor before taking Sevelamer carbonate if any of the following applies to you:

• swallowing problems; Your doctor can prescribe a powder for oral suspension
• problems with motility (movement) in your stomach and bowel
• being sick frequently, active inflammation of the bowel
• have undergone major surgery on your stomach or bowel.

Talk to your doctor while taking Sevelamer carbonate:

• if you experience severe abdominal pain, stomach or intestine disorders, or blood in your stools (gastrointestinal bleeding). These symptoms can be due to sevelamer crystal deposits in your bowel. Contact your doctor who will decide on continuing the treatment or not.

Additional treatments:

Due to either your kidney condition or your dialysis treatment you may:

• develop low or high levels of calcium in your blood. Since this medicine does not contain calcium your doctor might prescribe additional calcium tablets.
• have a low amount of vitamin D in your blood. Therefore, your doctor may monitor the levels of vitamin D in your blood and prescribe additional vitamin D as necessary. If you do not take multivitamin supplements you may also develop low levels of vitamins A, E, K and folic acid in your blood and therefore your doctor may monitor these levels and prescribe supplemental vitamins as necessary.
• have disturbed level of bicarbonate in your blood and increased acidity in the blood and other body tissue. Your doctor should monitor the level of bicarbonate in your blood.

Special note for patients on peritoneal dialysis:

You may develop peritonitis (infection of your abdominal fluid) associated with your peritoneal dialysis. This risk can be reduced by careful adherence to sterile techniques during bag changes. You should tell your doctor immediately if you experience any new signs or symptoms of abdominal distress, abdominal swelling, abdominal pain, abdominal tenderness, or abdominal rigidity, constipation, fever, chills, nausea or vomiting.

Children: The safety and efficacy in children (below the age of 6 years) have not been studied. Therefore this medicine is not recommended for use in children below the age of 6 years.

Pregnancy, breast-feeding and fertility: If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor for advice before taking this medicine. The potential risk of sevelamer carbonate during human pregnancy is unknown. Talk to your doctor who will decide if you can continue the treatment with Sevelamer carbonate. It is unknown whether sevelamer is excreted in breast milk and may affect your baby. Talk to your doctor who will decide if you can breastfeed your baby or not, and if it is necessary to stop Sevelamer carbonate treatment.

Driving and using machines: Sevelamer carbonate is unlikely to affect your ability to drive or to use machines.