This medication has been prescribed because your healthcare provider has judged that the benefits are greater than the risk of side effects. Many people using this medication do not have serious side effects. 

Precautions

Stelara may lower a patient’s ability to fight infections or may increase the risk of infections. Serious infections, which may require hospitalization, include tuberculosis (TB), and infections caused by bacteria, fungi, or viruses. When you are taking Stelara, consult your healthcare provider immediately if you have any signs of a chest infection, skin infection or shingles.

Decreased activity of the immune system may increase the risk for certain types of cancer. Inform your healthcare provider if you have any new skin growths.

Inform your healthcare provider if you have any new or worsening medical problems including headaches, seizures, confusion, and vision problems. These may be symptoms of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES). If PRES is found early and treated, most people recover.

Serious Allergic Reactions

Consult your healthcare provider immediately if you have any symptoms of a serious allergic reaction such as feeling faint, swelling of the face, eyelids, tongue, or throat, chest tightness, 

A skin rash, shortness of breath or a cough may be a sign of serious inflammation. If it persists, consult your healthcare provider immediately.

Other mild side effects may include:

• nasal congestion, sore throat and runny nose, upper respiratory infection, sinus infection, bronchitis
• fever
• headache, tiredness
• itching
• nausea and vomiting
• redness at the injection site
• vaginal yeast infections or urinary tract infections
• diarrhea and stomach pain
• joint pain.

If these persist or get worse, discuss this with your doctor or pharmacist.

Stelara is used for the treatment of the following conditions:

• Moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults and children who are intolerant of other systematic treatments or haven’t had the wanted results with other treatments
• Active psoriatic arthritis in adults
• Moderate to severely active Crohn’s disease in adult patients who haven’t had the wanted results or are intolerant of other treatments
• Moderate to severely active ulcerative colitis in adult patients who had a bad response, lost response, or are intolerant to other forms of treatment