(vin KRIS teen) Brand: Oncovin, Vincasar PFS
• You must not use this medicine if you have a nerve-muscle mess, such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth syndrome, myasthenia gravis, ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), multiple sclerosis, or muscular dystrophy.
• Vincristine is cancer medicine that interferes with the growth of cancer cells and slows their spread in the body.
• Vincristine is used to treat leukemia, Hodgkin's malady, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, rhabdomyosarcoma (soft tissue tumors), neuroblastoma (cancer that forms in nerve tissue), and Wilms' tumor.
• Vincristine is sometimes used in combination with another cancer medications.
• Vincristine may also be used for another purposes not listed in this medicine guide.
• You must not use this medicine if you are allergic to it, or if you have a nerve-muscle mess such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth syndrome, myasthenia gravis, ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), multiple sclerosis, or muscular dystrophy.
• To create certain vincristine is safety for you, speak your doctor if you have:
· liver disease;
· breathing problems;
· epilepsy or another seizure disorder;
· a bacterial infection;
· a blockage in your intestines; or
· coronary artery disease.
• FDA pregnancy category D. Do not use vincristine if you are pregnant. It could harm the unborn child. Use effective birth control to avoid pregnancy during your treatment with vincristine. Follow your doctor's instructions about how long to prevent pregnancy after your treatment ends.
• It is not known whether vincristine passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing child. Speak your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
• Vincristine is injected into a vein through an IV. A healthcare provider will give you this injection.
• Vincristine is generally given once for week. Follow your doctor's instructions.
• Speak your caregivers if you feel any burning, pain, or swelling near the IV needle when the medication is injected.
• Vincristine can reason severe constipation. You may be given medicine to prevent constipation while you are receiving this medication. Use all medications as directed by your doctor.
• You may need frequent medical trials to be certain this medicine is not causing deleterious effects. Your cancer treatments may be delayed based on the results of these tests.
• Call your doctor for instructions if you miss an appointment for your vincristine injection.
• Since vincristine is given by a healthcare professional in a medical setting, an overdose is unlikely to occur.
• Avoid being around people who have colds, the flu, or another contagious illnesses. Contact 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 vincristine, or you could develop a serious infection. 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.
• Call your doctor at once if you have:
· bronchospasm (wheezing, chest tightness, trouble breathing);
· signs of infection such as fever, chills, sore throat, swollen gums, painful mouth sores, cool or flu symptoms;
· problems with vision, hearing, speech, swallowing, walking, or daily activities;
· numbness, burning, pain, or tingly feeling; or
· severe constipation, severe bloating or stomach pain, bloody or tarry stools.
• General side effects may include:
· temporary hair loss;
· decreased weight with loss of muscle tissue;
· diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite; or
· weight loss.
• 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 vincristine, especially:
· nefazodone;
· an antibiotic--clarithromycin, telithromycin;
· antifungal medication--itraconazole, ketoconazole, posaconazole, voriconazole;
· hepatitis C medicines--boceprevir, telaprevir; or
· HIV or AIDS medication--atazanavir, cobicistat, delavirdine, fosamprenavir, indinavir, nelfinavir, ritonavir, saquinavir.
• This list is not complete. Another drugs may interact with vincristine, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal commodity. Not all possible interactions are listed in this medicine manual.
• Your doctor or pharmacist can provide more information about vincristine.
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.