BEXAROTENE

(beks AIR oh teen) Brand: Targretin

What is the most significant information I must know about bexarotene?

• Bexarotene can harm an unborn child or reason birth defects. Do not use if you are pregnant, or if you are a man and your sexual partner is pregnant. Use at least 2 dependable forms of birth control while either sexual partner is taking bexarotene, and for at least 30 days after treatment ends.

• Stop taking this medicine and speak your doctor right away if you become pregnant, if you stop using birth control, or if you miss a menstrual period.

What is bexarotene?

• Bexarotene is a cancer medicine that interferes with the growth and spread of cancer cells in the body.

• Bexarotene is used to treat skin lesions caused by cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). Bexarotene is generally given after another cancer medications have been tried without successful treatment.

• Bexarotene may also be used for purposes not listed in this medicine guide.

What must I discuss with my healthcare provider till taking bexarotene?

• You must not use bexarotene if you are allergic to it, or if you are pregnant.

• To create certain bexarotene is safety for you, speak your doctor if you have:

· tall cholesterol or triglycerides (a type of thick in the blood);

· liver disease;

· kidney disease;

· a thyroid disorder;

· diabetes;

· gallbladder disease;

· if you drink big amounts of alcohol; or

· if you are allergic to any another retinoids (isotretinoin, tretinoin, acitretin).

• FDA pregnancy category X. This medicine can harm an unborn child or reason birth defects. Do not use bexarotene if you are pregnant, or if you are a man and your sexual partner is pregnant.

· If you are a woman, you should have a negative pregnancy test within 7 days till you start taking bexarotene. A pregnancy test is also required each month during treatment with bexarotene.

· Stop taking this medicine and speak your doctor right away if you become pregnant, if you stop using birth control, or if you miss a menstrual period.

· If you are a man, use a condom to prevent pregnancy during your treatment. Continue using a condom for at least 30 days after you stop taking bexarotene.

· Use at least 2 dependable forms of birth control while either sexual partner is taking bexarotene. Hold using 2 forms of birth control for at least 30 days after you stop taking bexarotene.

· At least one of your forms of birth control must be non hormonal (condom, cervical cap, IUD, or diaphragm with spermicide).

· Speak your doctor right away if a pregnancy occurs while either the mother or the father is taking bexarotene.

• It is not known whether bexarotene passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing child. You must not breast-feed while you are using bexarotene.

How must I use bexarotene?

• Follow all directions on your prescription label. Do not take this medication in larger or less amounts or for longer than recommended.

• Take with food.

• Swallow every capsule intact. Do not chew them, dissolve them in liquid, or let them to dissolve in your mouth.

• It may take up to different months till your symptoms improve. Hold using the medicine as directed and speak your doctor if your symptoms do not improve.

• While using bexarotene, you may need frequent blood trials at your doctor's office.

• Store at room temperature away from moisture, heat, and light.

What happens if I miss a dose?

• Take the missed doze with food as soon as you remember. Skip the missed doze if it is nearly time for your following scheduled doze. Do not take extra medication to create up the missed dose.

What happens if I overdose?

• Search abnormal medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222.

What must I avoid while using bexarotene?

• Avoid taking a vitamin A supplement without your doctor's advice. Use only the amount your doctor recommends.

• Grapefruit and grapefruit juice may interact with bexarotene and lead to unwanted side effects. Discuss the use of grapefruit commodity with your doctor.

• This medication can pass into body fluids (including urine, feces, vomit, semen, vaginal fluid). For at least 48 hours after you receive a doze, avoid allowing your body fluids to come into contact with your hands or another surfaces. Patients and caregivers must wear rubber gloves while cleaning up body fluids, handling contaminated trash or laundry or changing diapers. Wash hands till and after removing gloves. Wash soiled clothing and linens apart from another laundry.

• Body fluids must not be handled by a woman who is pregnant or who may become pregnant. Use condoms during sexual activity to avoid exposure to body fluids.

• Avoid exposure to sunlight or tanning beds. Bexarotene can create you sunburn more easily. Wear protective clothing and use sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher) when you are outdoors.

What are the possible side effects of bexarotene?

• 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.

• Stop using bexarotene and call your doctor at once if you have:

· fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms, sores in your mouth and throat;

· pale skin, light bruising, unusual bleeding, feeling light-headed or short of breath, rapid heart course, trouble concentrating;

· blurred vision, eye pain, or seeing halos near lights;

· severe pain in your upper stomach spreading to your back, nausea and vomiting;

· feeling weary or unusually cool; or

· stabbing chest pain, wheezing, cough with yellow or green mucus.

• General side effects may include:

· temporary hair loss;

· nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain;

· confusion, headache, weakness, muscle spasm;

· rash, dry or peeling skin;

· sleep problems (insomnia); or

· swelling in your hands or feet.

• 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.

What another drugs will affect bexarotene?

• Much drugs can interact with bexarotene. Not all possible interactions are listed here. Speak your doctor about all your medications and any you start or stop using during treatment with bexarotene, especially:

· gemfibrozil;

· St. John's wort;

· an antibiotic--clarithromycin, nafcillin, rifabutin, rifampin, rifapentine, telithromycin;

· antifungal medication--itraconazole, ketoconazole, posaconazole, voriconazole;

· another cancer medications--carboplatin, paclitaxel, tamoxifen;

· heart medication--nicardipine, quinidine;

· hepatitis C medications--boceprevir, telaprevir;

· HIV/AIDS medication--atazanavir, delavirdine, efavirenz, fosamprenavir, indinavir, nelfinavir, nevirapine, ritonavir, saquinavir; or

· seizure medication--carbamazepine, fosphenytoin, oxcarbazepine, phenobarbital, phenytoin, primidone.

• This list is not complete and much another drugs can interact with bexarotene. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal commodity. Give a list of all your medicines to any healthcare provider who treats you.

Where can I get more information?

• Your doctor or pharmacist can provide more information about bexarotene.

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.

Disclaim: Each effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses external of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way must be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safety, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the help of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.