Fungizone Injection: Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Precautions and Alternates

Quick overview

Fungizone Injection contains the antifungal medicine Amphotericin B, given as a slow intravenous infusion for serious, life-threatening fungal infections. It is not intended for minor infections such as mouth, throat, or vaginal yeast infections. Fungizone works by damaging the fungal cell membrane, and it must be administered only by a doctor or nurse in a hospital or clinic setting.

What is Fungizone Injection

Fungizone is an antifungal medicine given by injection into a vein. It is used for serious, life-threatening fungal infections and is not meant for minor infections like mouth, throat, or vaginal yeast infections. It also contains a solvent called sodium deoxycholate that helps the medicine dissolve for injection.

Fungizone Injection uses

• Treatment of serious, life-threatening fungal infections such as aspergillosis, cryptococcosis, North American blastomycosis, systemic candidiasis, coccidioidomycosis, histoplasmosis, mucormycosis/zygomycosis, and sporotrichosis
• May be used for suspected fungal infections in patients with fever and a low white blood cell count (neutropenia)
• Used to treat visceral leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease
• May be useful in treating American mucocutaneous leishmaniasis, though it is not the first-choice treatment for this

Benefits of Fungizone Injection

• Treats serious fungal infections
• Helps treat invasive Candida infections
• Treats cryptococcal infections
• Helps treat invasive aspergillosis
• Treats certain severe systemic fungal infections

How Fungizone Injection works

Fungizone attaches to a substance called ergosterol in the outer covering (membrane) of fungal cells. This creates holes in the membrane, causing the cell's contents to leak out, which kills the fungus.

Fungizone Injection dosage

Fungizone is given only by a doctor or nurse in a hospital or clinic setting as a slow intravenous (IV) infusion into a vein; do not self-administer. The IV infusion is given slowly and can take several hours to complete. Treatment may need to continue for several weeks to months depending on the infection being treated.

Symptoms may improve before the infection is fully cleared; do not stop treatment early without talking to your doctor, as this can cause the infection to return. Tell your care team right away if you feel burning, pain, or swelling where the IV is placed. You may need frequent blood tests while receiving this medicine to check how your body is responding.

Use exactly as prescribed by your doctor or pharmacist.

Available forms and strengths

• Injection

Side effects of Fungizone Injection

Common

• Nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, diarrhea
• Upset stomach, loss of appetite
• Muscle or joint pain
• Headache, ringing in the ears
• Pain, bruising, or swelling where the medicine was injected
• Weight loss
• Flushing (warmth, redness, or tingly feeling)
• Fever and shaking chills
• Dizziness
• Indigestion

Serious

• Signs of a serious allergic reaction: hives, wheezing, difficulty breathing, swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat
• Pale skin, easy bruising, blood in stools
• A light-headed feeling like you might pass out
• Seizures (convulsions)
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes)
• Fluid build-up in the lungs: anxiety, sweating, gasping for breath, cough with foamy mucus, chest pain, fast or uneven heart rate
• Signs of a kidney problem: little or no urination, painful or difficult urination, swelling in feet or ankles, feeling tired or short of breath
• Low potassium levels: confusion, uneven heart rate, extreme thirst, increased urination, leg discomfort, muscle weakness
• Signs of a new infection: fever, chills, flu symptoms, mouth and throat ulcers, rapid or shallow breathing
• Increased blood sugar levels

Warnings and precautions

This medicine should mainly be used for serious, progressive, potentially life-threatening fungal infections, not for minor infections like oral thrush or vaginal yeast infections in people with normal white blood cell counts.

Taking too much of this medicine can cause dangerous heart or heart-lung problems, including cardiac arrest, so doses must be carefully checked and never exceed the amount your doctor has prescribed.

You should not receive this medicine if you are allergic to amphotericin B or any of its other forms, unless your doctor decides that your condition is life-threatening and this is the only effective treatment.

This medicine often causes reactions like fever, chills, low blood pressure, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, headache, and fast breathing within a few hours of starting the infusion, especially with the first few doses.

Giving the infusion too quickly can cause low blood pressure, low potassium, irregular heartbeat, and shock, so it must always be given slowly.

Fungizone is not expected to harm an unborn baby, but you should tell your doctor if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, as this medicine should only be used during pregnancy if clearly needed.

It is not known whether this medicine passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby, so you should not breastfeed while using it, or should discuss this with your doctor first.

This medicine can cause kidney damage, so tell your doctor if you have kidney problems before starting treatment; your kidney function will likely be checked often during treatment.

It is not known whether this medicine is safe for people with liver problems, so tell your doctor if you have liver disease before starting treatment.

It is not known whether it is safe to drink alcohol while receiving this medicine, so check with your doctor first.

Some side effects of this medicine may affect your ability to drive or use machinery safely, so it is considered unsafe to drive after receiving it.

Storage

• Store the unreconstituted injection in the refrigerator between 2°C to 8°C, protected from light and moisture
• After mixing with water, the concentrated solution can be kept in the dark at room temperature for 24 hours, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week; discard any unused portion after that
• Once further diluted for the IV infusion, use the solution promptly and protect it from light during administration

When to see a doctor

Get emergency medical help right away if you have signs of a serious allergic reaction, such as hives, wheezing, trouble breathing, or swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Call your doctor right away if you notice pale skin or easy bruising, blood in your stools, feeling like you might faint, seizures, yellowing of the skin or eyes, signs of fluid in the lungs such as gasping for breath or chest pain, signs of kidney problems like little or no urination or swelling in the feet, or signs of low potassium such as confusion or muscle weakness.

Seek emergency help if you suspect an overdose, since too much of this medicine can be fatal; your doctor will need to monitor your heart, kidney, and liver function and provide supportive care.

Alternatives

• Fluconazole
• AmBisome
• Voriconazole