Common Side Effects

• During clinical trials of Precose, 74 percent of patients taking the medication reported increased flatulence and 31 percent experienced diarrhea. Another 19 percent of patients had upset stomachs after taking Precose. These gastrointestinal side effects can be severe for patients who consume large amounts of carbohydrates.
  
  

Reported Side Effects of Unknown Frequency

• Patients using Precose in real-world conditions have reported rashes, hives, jaundice, hepatitis and severe constipation due to intestinal paralysis (i.e., ileus). The prescribing information for Precose does not specify how frequently these side effects have occurred.
  
  

Precautions

• You should not take Precose if you have advanced kidney dysfunction because the drug cannot be cleared from your bloodstream.
  
  Precose can cause temporary, but reversible, increases in blood concentrations of an enzyme that can signal liver damage. If tests show high concentrations of that enzyme, you should stop using Precose.
  
  

Contraindications

• Don't take Precose if you have cirrhosis, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcers in your colon or extremely high spikes in your blood sugar (diabetic ketoacidosis). Additionally, you should not take the drug if your intestines are partially obstructed or you suffer from a health condition that places you at risk from the buildup of gas in your bowels.
  
  

Drug Interactions

• If you take digoxin, you may have to increase your dosage, because Precose may reduce the amount of the heart medication your bloodstream absorbs.
  
  You will have to have your blood sugar monitored particularly closely if you also are on diuretics, oral contraceptives, cholesterol-lowering medications, isoniazid or phenytoin (such as Dilantin from Pfizer). Those drugs can cause dangerous increases in blood sugar levels.