Upadacitinib (Rinvoq)
Content date: 14 November 2026
An oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor for selected adults with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. This card is for people prescribed it; the specialist weighs expected benefit against individual risks.
Your next step
Check your medicine, current treatment-stage dose and next blood-test date. Keep the safety card and show it to healthcare professionals.
Get urgent help: Seek emergency care for chest pain, sudden breathlessness, a painful swollen leg, sudden weakness or visual change, or face/throat swelling. New severe abdominal pain, especially with fever or vomiting, needs urgent assessment.
Taking your medicine
- Follow your prescribed strength and duration: starting and maintenance doses differ. Prolonged-release tablets are taken once daily, with or without food; swallow whole without crushing or splitting.
- Never double a missed dose. Follow your pack leaflet and ask the pharmacist if instructions are unclear. Keep the original packaging, follow its storage instructions and protect from children and excess heat.
Before starting and during treatment
- The team reviews infections, tuberculosis, viral hepatitis and vaccinations, including an appropriate shingles vaccine. Treatment is not started during a serious active infection. Live vaccines require a specialist plan.
- Keep scheduled blood counts, liver tests and cholesterol checks before and during treatment, even when you feel well. Mention heart disease, clots, cancer and current or previous smoking.
Understanding side effects
- Acne, headache or nausea can occur; not everyone experiences side effects. Report persistent symptoms.
- Risks include infections, shingles, blood clots, cardiovascular events and certain cancers. Risk varies with age, health and dose; alternatives need particular consideration from age 65 or with risk factors. Monitoring is a routine part of safe treatment, not a prediction that harm will occur.
Interactions and pregnancy
- Avoid grapefruit. Have the pharmacist check medicines and herbs, particularly antibiotics and antifungals. Do not combine it yourself with a biologic or another immune-suppressing medicine.
- Do not use during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Effective contraception is needed during treatment and for at least four weeks after the last dose. Discuss pregnancy plans in advance and contact your doctor immediately if pregnancy occurs.
Brand: ........................ | Dose and how I take or use the medicine: ........................
Next dose: ........................ | Next blood tests: ........................
Team contact: ........................
When to get help
Seek emergency care for chest pain, sudden breathlessness, a painful swollen leg, sudden weakness or visual change, or face/throat swelling. New severe abdominal pain, especially with fever or vomiting, needs urgent assessment.
Contact the team the same day for fever, a new infection or a painful blistering rash; they may temporarily interrupt treatment. Report new skin changes or persistent troublesome symptoms.