(KLAD ri been) Brand: Cladribine Novaplus, Leustatin
• Cladribine is used to treat hairy cell leukemia (a type of blood cancer).
• Cladribine can lower blood cells that help your body fight infections and help your blood to clot. You may get an infection or bleed more easily. Call your doctor if you have unusual bruising or bleeding, or signs of infection (fever, chills, body aches).
• Speak your caregivers at once if you have a side effect such as numbness or tingling, weakness or burning pain in your fingers or toes, or feeling like you might pass out.
• Cladribine is a cancer medicine that interferes with the growth and spread of cancer cells in the body.
• Cladribine is used to treat hairy cell leukemia (a type of blood cancer).
• Cladribine may also be used for purposes not listed in this medicine guide.
• You must not use this medicine if you are allergic to it.
• To create certain cladribine is safety for you, speak your doctor if you have:
· liver or kidney malady; or
· a bone marrow problem.
• FDA pregnancy category D. Do not use cladribine if you are pregnant. It could harm the unborn child. Use effective birth control, and speak your doctor if you become pregnant during treatment.
• It is not known whether cladribine passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing child. You must not breast-feed while you are receiving cladribine.
• Cladribine is injected into a vein through an IV. You will receive this injection in a clinic or hospital setting.
• Cladribine should be given slowly through an IV infusion, and you will receive it near the clock for 7 days in a row. Your doctor will determine how much 7- day treatments you will receive and how often.
• You may receive another medications to help prevent determined side effects of cladribine.
• Cladribine 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.
• Contact your doctor at once if you develop signs of infection such as fever, chills, sore throat, flu symptoms, cough with yellow or green mucus, loss of appetite, mouth sores, unusual weakness.
• Since this medicine is given in a healthcare setting near the clock, you will not miss a dose.
• Since this medicine is given by a healthcare professional in a medical setting, an overdose is unlikely to occur.
• Avoid being around people who are sick or have infections. Speak your doctor at once if you develop signs of infection.
• 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.
• Do not receive a "live" vaccine while using cladribine, and avoid coming into contact with anyone who has recently received a live vaccine. There is a chance that the virus could be passed on to you. Live vaccines include measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), rotavirus, typhoid, yellow fever, varicella (chickenpox), zoster (shingles), and nasal flu (influenza) vaccine.
• 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.
• Speak your caregivers at once if you have a serious side effect such as:
· numbness, tingling, weakness, or burning pain in your fingers or toes;
· numbness or tingly feeling near your mouth;
· a light-headed feeling, like you might pass out;
· redness, swelling, or itching under your skin;
· lower back pain, blood in your urine, urinating smaller than normal or not at all;
· muscle weakness, tightness, or contraction, overactive reflexes;
· quick or slow heart course, weak pulse, feeling short of breath;
· pale or yellowed skin, dark colored urine, fever, confusion;
· light bruising, unusual bleeding (nose, mouth, vagina, or rectum), purple or red pinpoint spots under your skin; or
· signs of infection such as fever, chills, sore throat, flu symptoms, cough with yellow or green mucus, loss of appetite, mouth sores, unusual weakness.
• General side effects may include:
· headache, weary feeling;
· nausea, diarrhea, constipation;
· mild itching or skin rash;
· cough; or
· pain, swelling, or irritation near the IV needle.
• 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.
• Speak your doctor about all medicines you use, and those you start or stop using during your treatment with cladribine, especially drugs that weaken immune system such as:
· any another cancer medication;
· steroids; or
· medicines to prevent organ transplant rejection.
• This list is not complete and another drugs may interact with cladribine. 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 cladribine.
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.