PROCARBAZINE

(pro Machine ba zeen) Brand: Matulane

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

• Procarbazine is used to treat Hodgkin's Malady (a type of blood cancer).

• You must not take procarbazine if you have bone marrow suppression.

• Procarbazine 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).

What is procarbazine?

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

• Procarbazine is given with another cancer medications to treat Hodgkin's Malady (a type of blood cancer).

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

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

• You must not take procarbazine if you are allergic to it, or if you have bone marrow suppression.

• To create certain you can safely use procarbazine, speak your doctor if you have any of these another conditions:

· kidney disease;

· liver disease;

· anemia (low red blood cells);

· low levels of platelets in the blood;

· low white blood cell counts;

· fluid retention; or

· if you have received another cancer medications or radiation within the past 30 days.

• FDA pregnancy category D. Do not use procarbazine if you are pregnant. It could harm the unborn child. Use effective birth control, and speak your doctor if you become pregnant during treatment.

• Procarbazine can lower sperm bill in men, which may affect fertility (your capacity to have children).

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

How must I take procarbazine?

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

• Procarbazine 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 tests.

• Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

What happens if I miss a dose?

• Take the missed doze 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 taking procarbazine?

• Do not drink alcohol. Procarbazine can reason unpleasant side effects when you drink alcohol.

• Avoid smoking during your treatment. Smoking may magnify your risk of lung cancer while taking procarbazine.

• 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 procarbazine. 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), rotavirus, typhoid, yellow fever, varicella (chickenpox), zoster (shingles), and nasal flu (influenza) vaccine.

• While you are taking procarbazine, you must avoid foods that are tall in tyramine, including:

· avocados, bananas, figs, papaya, raisins, and sauerkraut;

· beef or chicken liver, meats prepared with tenderizer, bologna, pepperoni, summer sausage, game meat, meat extracts;

· pickled or smoked fish, anchovies, dried fish, herring, caviar, shrimp paste;

· beer (alcoholic and nonalcoholic), wine (especially red wine), champagne, sherry, vermouth, and another distilled spirits;

· caffeine (including coffee, tea, cola), ginseng;

· cheese -- especially aged or processed cheeses (American, blue, boursault, brie, camembert, cheddar, gruyere, mozzarella, parmesan, romano, roquefort, Swiss);

· chocolate;

· sour cream and yogurt;

· soy sauce, miso soup, bean curd, fava beans; or

· yeast extracts.

• Eating tyramine while you are taking procarbazine can raise your blood pressure to dangerous levels, causing life-threatening side effects.

What are the possible side effects of procarbazine?

• 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:

· diarrhea that is watery;

· a light-headed feeling, like you might pass out;

· numbness, burning pain, or tingly feeling;

· confusion, hallucinations, problems with vision or speech, trouble with walking or daily activities;

· feeling unsteady, loss of balance or coordination;

· tremors, seizure (convulsions);

· cough, chest pain, trouble breathing;

· fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms;

· light bruising, unusual bleeding (nose, mouth, vagina, or rectum), purple or red pinpoint spots under your skin;

· white patches or sores internal your mouth or on your lips;

· jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes); or

· bloody or tarry stools, coughing up blood or vomit that looks like coffee grounds.

• General side effects may include:

· mild nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, stomach pain;

· dry mouth, constipation, mild diarrhea;

· mild itching or rash, temporary hair loss;

· muscle of joint pain;

· headache, dizziness, feeling tired;

· urinating more than normal; or

· changes in your menstrual periods.

• 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 procarbazine?

• Taking procarbazine with another drugs that create you sleepy or slow your breathing can magnify these effects. Ask your doctor till taking procarbazine with a sleeping pill, narcotic pain medication, muscle relaxer, or medication for anxiety, depression, or seizures.

• Speak your doctor about all medicines you use, and those you start or stop using during your treatment with procarbazine, especially:

· blood pressure medication;

· an antidepressant--amitriptyline, doxepin, imipramine, nortriptyline, and others;

· a barbiturate--butabarbital, secobarbital, pentobarbital, phenobarbital;

· diet pills, stimulants, or ADHD medicine such as Adderall or Ritalin; or

· phenothiazines--chlorpromazine, fluphenazine, perphenazine, prochlorperazine, promethazine, thioridazine, trifluoperazine.

• This list is not complete. Another drugs may interact with procarbazine, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal commodity. Not all possible interactions are listed in this medicine manual.

Where can I get more information?

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

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.