ADVANTAN® OINTMENT, FATTY OINTMENT, CREAM & LOTION

Methylprednisolone aceponate (meth'il -predd -niz-oh -lone ass-epp -on -eight)

Consumer Medicine Information

Please read this leaflet carefully before

you start your treatment.

Keep this leaflet.

You may want to read it again.

What is in this leaflet?

This leaflet answers some common questions

about using Advantan®. It does not contain

all the available information. It does not take

the place of talking to your doctor or

pharmacist.

All medicines have risks and benefits. Your

doctor has weighed the risks of you using

Advantan® against the benefits it is expected

to have for you.

If you have any concerns about using

Advantan®, talk to your doctor or

pharmacist.

What Advantan® is used for

The active ingredient in Advantan® belongs

to the group of medicines called

corticosteroids. The corticosteroid in

Advantan® is suitable to put on the skin. It is

therefore called a topical corticosteroid,

which is sometimes shortened to topical

steroid.

When Advantan® is put on the skin, it

relieves the redness, swelling, itching and

irritation of the skin in eczema and

psoriasis.

Advantan® preparations are available only

with a doctor's prescription.

Advantan® is made up as four different

preparations. Each has a distinct look and

feel. They are:

• ointment,

• fatty ointment,

• cream and

• lotion.

The most solid is the fatty ointment; the most

runny is the lotion. The ointment and cream

are in-between in thickness.

Each preparation is especially suitable in

consistency for a particular area of skin or

skin condition needing treatment. Your

doctor will prescribe the preparation most

suitable for you.

The Advantan® preparations are medicines

and should only be used on skin affected by

the conditions described below.

All four Advantan® preparations treat

eczema.

Advantan® ointment, fatty ointment and

cream (but NOT lotion) also treat psoriasis.

Eczema is a skin condition with redness,

swelling, oozing of fluid, crusting and later

scaling. It is often very itchy.

Psoriasis is a skin disorder with raised,

rough, reddened areas covered with dry, fine,

silvery scales.

Your doctor may have prescribed

Advantan® for another reason.

Discuss this with him/her.

Advantan® is not addictive. It is not

expected to affect your ability to drive a car

or operate machinery.

Before you use Advantan®

When you must not use Advantan®

Do not use Advantan® if you have an

allergy to:

• any medicine containing

methylprednisolone aceponate

• any of the ingredients listed at the end of

this leaflet (see Product description).

• any other similar medicine, that is,

topical corticosteroids.

Some of the symptoms of an allergic reaction

may include shortness of breath, wheezing or

difficulty breathing; swelling of the face,

lips, tongue or other parts of the body; rash,

itching or hives on the skin.

Do not use Advantan® if in the area of

skin you are treating:

• you have infection due to

- tuberculosis (TB) or syphilis

- a virus such as chicken-pox or shingles

- a skin reaction following a vaccination.

Do not use Advantan® if you have acne,

rosacea, ulcera, atrophic skin disease or

perioral dermatitis.

Your doctor will identify these conditions for

you.

Do not use Advantan®

• after the expiry date printed on the

pack OR

• if the packaging is torn, doesn't look

quite right or shows signs of

tampering.

If the Advantan® packaging is damaged or it

is past the expiry date, return it to your

pharmacist for disposal.

If you have not told your doctor about any

of the above, tell him/her before you start

using Advantan®.

If you are not sure whether you should

start using this medicine, talk to your

doctor.

Before you start to use it

Tell your doctor if you have a known

allergy to Advantan® or any ingredients

listed at the end of this leaflet.

Tell your doctor if you

• are pregnant or plan to become

pregnant

• are breast-feeding

• plan to breastfeed.

Your doctor can discuss with you the risks

and benefits of using Advantan®.

Advantan® should be used only on the

skin. Avoid getting Advantan® in your

eyes. Do not put Advantan® in your

mouth or come in contact with deep open

wounds or mucous membranes.

Do not swallow Advantan®.

Taking other medicines

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are

on any other medicines, including any that

you buy without a prescription from your

pharmacy, supermarket or health food

shop.

Your doctor and pharmacist have more

information on medicines to be careful with

or avoid while using Advantan®.

How to use Advantan®

Follow carefully all directions given to you

by your doctor or pharmacist.

They may differ from the information

contained in this leaflet.

If you do not understand the instructions

in this leaflet, ask your doctor or

pharmacist for help.

How to use Advantan® preparations

• Advantan® ointment, fatty ointment

and cream

Apply thinly to the affected area of skin.

• Advantan® lotion

Apply thinly to the affected area of skin

and gently rub in.

When to use it

• Treatment of eczema

Use Advantan® once a day to treat the

affected skin.

• Treatment of psoriasis

Use Advantan® ointment, fatty ointment

or cream once or twice a day on the

patches of psoriasis.

How long to use it

Usually, treatment with Advantan® is for up

to 12 (twelve) weeks in adults and 4 (four)

weeks in children.

Treatment with Advantan® should be for the

shortest possible time period, and minimised

to only on affected area. This is particulary

important when using Advantan under

bandages.

This is particularly important when treating

large areas, and in children.

Excessive application of topical

corticosteroids to large areas of the body for

prolonged periods of time can increase the

risk of side effects. Discuss this with your

doctor.

If you forget to use it

If you forget to use Advantan®, use it as

soon as you remember. Then go on as before.

If you are not sure what to do, ask your

doctor or pharmacist.

If you have trouble remembering to use

your medicine, ask your doctor or

pharmacist for some hints.

If you use too much or use it other

than directed (Overdose)

Immediately telephone your doctor or the

Poisons Information Centre (telephone 13

11 26 in Australia) for advice, or go to the

Emergency Department at the nearest

hospital, if you think that you or anyone

else may have used too much or swallowed

some of this medicine. Do this even if there

are no signs of discomfort or poisoning.

If you use too much Advantan® or use it for

a long time, you may notice the following in

the treated area:

• your skin becomes thinner

• pink/purple stretch marks appear

• a network of tiny blood vessels appears.

Stop using Advantan® if you have these

symptoms and tell your doctor.

These symptoms usually disappear about two

weeks after you stop using Advantan®.

While you are using Advantan®

Things you must do

Stop using Advantan® if you develop a skin

allergy.

Tell your doctor if your skin becomes very

dry when you use Advantan® cream or

lotion. Your doctor may prescribe

Advantan® ointment or fatty ointment

instead.

If your eczema or psoriasis is infected, you

must

• use specific anti-infection treatments

prescribed by your doctor

• Stop using Advantan® if the infection

spreads.

If you are going to start any new medicine,

tell your doctor and pharmacist that you

are using Advantan®.

If you become pregnant while using

Advantan®, tell your doctor immediately.

Things you must not do

Do not use Advantan® to treat any other

complaints unless your doctor tells you to.

Do not give your medicine to anyone else,

even if they have the same condition as

you.

See also the section with the heading Before

you use Advantan®.

Side effects

As with all medicines, Advantan® can cause

some side effects. Side effects not listed in

this leaflet may occur in some patients.

Do not be alarmed by the following list of

side effects. You may not experience any

of them.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist to answer any

questions you may have.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist:

• if you have any unpleasant effects

while you are using Advantan®

or

• if you notice any of the following and

they worry you:

- itching

- burning

- redness.

The above list includes the more common

side effects.

The following list includes side effects that

are rare:

• thinning of the skin

• the appearance of fine blood vessels on

the skin surface

• stretch marks

• acne

• infection of hair follicles

• excessive unwanted hair growth

• redness and irritation around the mouth

(perioral dermatitis)

• skin discolouration

• allergic skin reactions.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you

notice anything that is making you feel

unwell.

Other side effects not listed above may also

occur in some people.

After using Advantan®

Keep Advantan® in its pack until required.

Storage

Keep your Advantan® ointment or cream

in a cool dry place where the temperature

stays below 25°C.

Keep your Advantan® fatty ointment or

lotion in a cool dry place where the

temperature stays below 30°C.

Do not store Advantan® or any other

medicine in the bathroom or near a sink.

Do not leave it on a window sill or in the

car.

Heat and dampness can destroy some

medicines.

Keep Advantan® where children cannot

reach it.

A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half

metres above the ground is a good place to

store medicines.

Do not use Advantan® after the expiry date

on the pack.

Disposal

If your doctor tells you to stop using

Advantan® or the expiry date has passed,

ask your pharmacist what to do with any

Advantan® that is left over.

Product description

What Advantan® formulations look

like

Advantan® ointment is a white to

yellowish, opaque ointment, with a firm

consistency.

Advantan® fatty ointment is a white to

yellowish, semi-clear ointment, which is

greasier than Advantan® ointment.

Advantan® cream is a white cream, lighter

in consistency than the ointments, and less

greasy.

Advantan® lotion is a white lotion, more

fluid than the cream.

Ingredients

Advantan ® ointment contains 1 mg of

methylprednisolone aceponate per gram of

ointment as the active ingredient. It also

contains

• white beeswax

• heavy liquid paraffin

• white soft paraffin

• Dehymuls E

• water.

Advantan® fatty ointment contains 1 mg of

methylprednisolone aceponate per gram of

fatty ointment as the active ingredient. It also

contains

• heavy liquid paraffin

• white soft paraffin

• microcrystalline wax

• hydrogenated castor oil.

Advantan® cream contains 1 mg of

methylprednisolone aceponate per gram of

cream as the active ingredient. It also

contains

• decyl oleate

• glyceryl monostearate

• cetostearyl alcohol

• hard fat

• Softisan 378

• PEG-40 stearate

• glyceryl 85%

• butylated hydroxytoluene

• benzyl alcohol

• disodium edetate

• water.

Advantan® lotion contains 1 mg of

methylprednisolone aceponate per gram of

lotion as the active ingredient. It also

contains

• medium chain trigylcerides

• caprylic/capric/stearic triglycerides

• steareth-2

• steareth-21

• benzyl alcohol

• disodium edetate

• glycerol

• water.

Advantan® does not contain lactose, sucrose,

gluten, tartrazine or any other azo dyes.

The Australian Registration Numbers are

Advantan® ointment AUST R 49381

Advantan® fatty ointment: AUST R 49382

Advantan® cream: AUST R 49380

Advantan® lotion: AUST R 80272

This is not all the information available on

Advantan®. If you have any more questions

or are unsure about anything, ask your doctor

or pharmacist.

Sponsor

Advantan® is sponsored in Australia by:

Bayer Australia Ltd

ABN 22 000 138 714

875 Pacific Highway

Pymble NSW 2073

Australia

This leaflet was prepared in March 2015

While all efforts have been made to ensure that ingredient listings are accurate, up to date and complete for products on the Superpharmacy website, suppliers may change formulations on short notice. Please check ingredient listings on the actual product before use. 
www.superpharmacy.com.au Australia's best source for prescriptions online.