(AL em TOOZ ue mab) Brand: Campath
• You must not receive alemtuzumab if you are allergic to it.
• Till you receive alemtuzumab, speak your doctor if you have any type of infection, if you are allergic to mouse or hamster proteins, or if you have regular blood transfusions.
• Alemtuzumab can lower blood cells that help your body fight infections and help your blood to clot. Your blood may need to be tested often. Avoid being around people who are sick or have infections. Avoid activities that may magnify your risk of bleeding injury. Speak your doctor at once if you develop signs of infection.
• Serious and sometimes fatal infections may occur during treatment with alemtuzumab. Call your doctor right away if you have signs of infection such as: fever, cough, sweating, weary feeling, weakness, confusion, light bruising or bleeding (nosebleed, bleeding gums), feeling light-headed or short of breath, rapid heart course, pale or yellowed skin, or dark colored urine.
• Do not receive a "live" vaccine while using alemtuzumab. The vaccine may not work as well during this time, and may not fully protect you from malady.
• You may be given another medications together with alemtuzumab to help prevent infection or determined side effects. Take these medicines for the full predesigned length of time.
• You must not breast-feed while you are receiving alemtuzumab.
• Alemtuzumab is an antibody made from animal DNA.
• Alemtuzumab is used to treat chronic B-cell lymphocytic leukemia.
• Alemtuzumab may also be used for purposes not listed in this medicine guide.
• You must not receive alemtuzumab if you are allergic to it.
• To create certain alemtuzumab is safety for you, speak your doctor if you have any of these another conditions:
· any type of bacterial, fungal, or viral infection (including herpes, cytomegalovirus, HIV, or AIDS);
· if you are allergic to mouse or hamster proteins; or
· if you have regular blood transfusions.
• FDA pregnancy category C. It is not known whether alemtuzumab will harm an unborn child. Speak your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant while receiving this medication.
• It is not known whether alemtuzumab passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing child. You must not breast-feed while you are receiving alemtuzumab.
• Alemtuzumab is injected into a vein through an IV. You will receive this injection in a clinic or hospital setting. Alemtuzumab should be given slowly, and the IV infusion can take up to up to 2 hours to complete.
• This medicine is generally given for a total or 12 weeks. You may receive the medicine each day or 3 days for week, depending on any side effects that occur.
• If you have stopped receiving alemtuzumab for longer than 7 days for any cause, you may need to restart the medicine at a lower dose.
• You may be given an antibiotic and another medications to help prevent determined side effects of alemtuzumab. Take these medicines for the full predesigned length of time, which may include at least 2 months after you stop receiving alemtuzumab.
• Alemtuzumab can lower blood cells that help your body fight infections and help your blood to clot. Your blood will need to be tested often. Your cancer treatments may be delayed based on the results of these trials. Visit your doctor regularly.
• Call your doctor for instructions if you miss an appointment for your alemtuzumab injection.
• Since this medicine is given by a healthcare professional in a medical setting, an overdose is unlikely to occur.
• Do not receive a "live" vaccine while receiving alemtuzumab. The vaccine may not work as well during this time, and may not fully protect you from malady. Live vaccines include measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), oral polio, rotavirus, smallpox, typhoid, yellow fever, varicella (chickenpox), zoster (shingles), and nasal flu (influenza) vaccine.
• Avoid being around people who are sick or have infections. Speak your doctor at once if you develop signs of infection.
• Avoid activities that may magnify your risk of bleeding or injury. Use extra care to prevent bleeding while shaving or brushing your teeth.
• Some people receiving an alemtuzumab injection have had a reaction to the infusion (when the medication is injected into the vein). Speak your caregiver right away if you feel hot or cool, nauseated, light-headed, sweaty, or have chest tightness or trouble breathing during the injection.
• Get abnormal medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your person, lips, tongue, or throat.
• Call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect such as:
· fever, sweating, chills, body aches, flu symptoms, sores in your mouth and throat, weight loss;
· pale or yellowed skin, dark colored urine, confusion or weakness;
· light bruising, unusual bleeding (nosebleed, bleeding gums), purple or red pinpoint spots under your skin;
· cough with yellow or green mucus, wheezing;
· weary feeling, feeling light-headed or short of breath, rapid heart course, trouble concentrating;
· swelling, warmth, redness, tingling, itching, or oozing of the skin;
· vision problems, changes in your behavior, seizure (convulsions); or
· bloody or tarry stools, coughing up blood or vomit that looks like coffee grounds.
• Smaller serious side effects include:
· nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite;
· sleep problems (insomnia);
· headache, anxiety;
· joint or muscle pain; or
· mild itching or rash.
• This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may message side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
• There may be another drugs that can interact with alemtuzumab. Speak your doctor about all medications you use. This includes prescription, over-the-counter, vitamin, and herbal commodity. Do not start a new medicine without telling your doctor.
• Your doctor or pharmacist can provide more information about alemtuzumab.
Remember, hold this and all another medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medicine only for the indication prescribed.
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