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Managing itchiness and fatigue

Living with the symptoms of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) isn’t easy, but here are some tips that can help.

Rosalía, 56 Joined #TeamOCALIVA in 2016Photograph of an actual patient.

Proactive lifestyle tips to help manage pruritus

Even if you’re not currently experiencing itching, you can still avoid situations that could cause your skin to itch. If do you experience pruritus while taking OCALIVA, talk to your healthcare provider. Then try working some of the following suggestions into your daily routine.

Adopting good sleep habits

Pruritus can cause sleep deprivation. Patients also report that itching can become worse at night. Practicing good sleep habits and strategies can help improve sleep duration and quality.

  • Play “white noise” in the bedroom
  • Use aromatherapy and massage
  • Maintain a cooler room temperature at night
  • Consider wearing gloves to bed

Practicing good hygiene

  • Take cool showers
  • Apply a daily moisturizer, such as Eucerin®
  • Keep fingernails trimmed
  • Switch to mild or clear/unscented soaps and laundry detergents

Using topical treatments & medications

  • Apply topical corticosteroids, such as hydrocortisone
  • Add an antihistamine

Looking for more proactive lifestyle tips?

Download the Managing Pruritus Brochure to get more tips to help manage symptoms of PBC.

Download a brochure
Photograph of an actual patient.

There are also ways to help with fatigue, like:

  • finding a good support system or group
  • staying social and avoiding situations that make you feel lonely
  • developing an exercise routine (and starting slowly)

Your doctor may also be able to prescribe you medication
to help with itchiness and fatigue.

Talk with your doctors about ways to address your PBC symptoms.

Choose the discussion guide that best describes you to help you have the right conversation with your doctor.

Download a discussion guide:

I am considering OCALIVA
I have been prescribed OCALIVA

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Indication and Important Safety Information

What is OCALIVA?

OCALIVA is a prescription medicine used to treat primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) in combination with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in adults who have not responded well enough to UDCA, or alone for adults who cannot tolerate UDCA. It is not known if taking OCALIVA will improve your chance of survival or improve your symptoms of PBC. It is not known if OCALIVA is safe and effective in children.

What is the most important information I should know about OCALIVA?

OCALIVA may cause serious side effects including:

Worsening of liver problems or liver failure, in some cases leading to liver transplant or death, has happened in people with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) with liver cirrhosis when taking OCALIVA.

Before you start OCALIVA, and during your treatment with OCALIVA, your healthcare provider will do tests to check your liver. These tests will help your healthcare provider decide if it is safe for you to start taking OCALIVA and safe for you to continue taking OCALIVA.

Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms of worsening liver problems during treatment with OCALIVA:

  • Swelling of your stomach‑area from a build‑up of fluid; yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes; black, tarry, or bloody stools; coughing up or vomiting blood, or your vomit looks like “coffee grounds”; mental changes such as confusion, sleepier than usual or harder to wake up, slurred speech, mood swings, or changes in personality.

Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms during treatment with OCALIVA and they are severe or do not go away:

  • Stomach‑area pain; nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea; loss of appetite or weight loss; new or worsening fatigue; weakness; fever and chills; light‑headedness; less frequent urination

Who should not take OCALIVA?

Do not take OCALIVA if you:

  • have PBC with liver cirrhosis with symptoms such as fluid in the stomach‑area or confusion (decompensated liver cirrhosis) or with abnormalities in certain tests that check your liver.
  • have a complete blockage of the bile ducts in your liver or gallbladder.

What are the possible side effects of OCALIVA?

OCALIVA may cause serious side effects, including:

  • See “What is the most important information I should know about OCALIVA?”
  • Severe Itching (pruritus). Itching is a common side effect and can sometimes become severe (intense itching or itching over much of your body). Severe itching can cause discomfort, problems sleeping, and problems doing daily activities and usually needs to be treated. Tell your healthcare provider if you get severe itching or if your itching gets worse.
  • Lower HDL‑C (“good” cholesterol). OCALIVA can lower high levels of HDL‑C. Your healthcare provider will check your cholesterol levels during treatment with OCALIVA.

The most common side effects of OCALIVA include: tiredness; stomach pain and discomfort; rash; joint pain; mouth and throat pain; dizziness; constipation; swelling in your hands, ankles, or feet; fast or irregular heartbeat; fever; changes in how your thyroid gland works; dryness, irritation, redness, crusting or drainage of the skin (eczema).

These are not all the possible side effects of OCALIVA. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.

What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking OCALIVA?

Before taking OCALIVA, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

  • are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if OCALIVA will harm your unborn baby.
  • are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if OCALIVA passes into your breastmilk. Talk with your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby if you take OCALIVA.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over‑the‑counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. OCALIVA can affect the way certain medicines work. Certain other medicines may affect the way OCALIVA works.

The risk information provided here is not complete. To learn more, please talk to your healthcare provider.

Please click here for Full Prescribing Information and Medication Guide for OCALIVA.

Available by prescription only.

To report negative side effects of OCALIVA, please contact Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. at 1-844-782-ICPT or you may report to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.