Gemcitabine (Systemic)
Brand Names : Gemzar
Before Using This MedicineIn deciding to use a medicine,
the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will
do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For gemcitabine, the
following should be considered:
Allergies - Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or
allergic reaction to gemcitabine.
Pregnancy - Tell your doctor if you are pregnant. Studies in
mice and rabbits have shown that gemcitabine causes birth defects and death
of the fetus, as well as problems in the mother. Be sure that you have discussed this with your doctor before starting treatment
with this medicine. It is best to use birth control while you are receiving
gemcitabine. Also, tell your doctor right away if you think you have become
pregnant during treatment.
Breast-feeding - It is not known whether gemcitabine passes into
breast milk. However, because this medicine may cause serious side effects,
breast-feeding is generally not recommended while you are receiving it.
Children - There is no specific information comparing use of
gemcitabine in children with use in other age groups.
Older adults - Gemcitabine has been tested in elderly patients and
has not been shown to cause different side effects or problems in older people
than it does in younger adults. However, seriously low blood counts tend to
occur more often in elderly patients.
Other medicines - Although certain medicines should not be used
together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together
even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to
change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking
gemcitabine, it is especially important that your health care professional
know if you are taking any of the following:
-
Amphotericin B by injection (e.g., Fungizone) or
-
Antithyroid agents (medicine for overactive thyroid) or
-
Azathioprine (e.g., Imuran) or
-
Chloramphenicol (e.g., Chloromycetin) or
-
Colchicine or
-
Flucytosine (e.g., Ancobon) or
-
Ganciclovir (e.g., Cytovene) or
-
Interferon (e.g., Intron A, Roferon-A) or
-
Plicamycin (e.g., Mithracin) or
-
Zidovudine (e.g., AZT, Retrovir) or
-
If you have ever been treated with radiation or other cancer medicines - The
risk of developing seriously low blood counts may be increased. Also, gemcitabine
can cause problems, sometimes serious, in areas treated by radiation
-
Azathioprine (e.g., Imuran) or
-
Chlorambucil (e.g., Leukeran) or
-
Corticosteroids (cortisone-like medicine) or
-
Cyclosporine (e.g., Sandimmune) or
-
Mercaptopurine (e.g., Purinethol) or
-
Muromonab-CD3 (monoclonal antibody) (e.g., Orthoclone OKT3) or
-
Tacrolimus (e.g., Prograf) - There may be an increased risk of
infection because gemcitabine decreases your body's ability to fight it
Other medical problems - The presence of other medical
problems may affect the use of gemcitabine. Make sure you tell your doctor
if you have any other medical problems, especially:
-
Chickenpox (including recent exposure) or
-
Herpes zoster (shingles) - Risk of severe disease spreading to
other parts of the body
-
Infection - Gemcitabine can decrease your body's ability to fight
infection
-
Kidney disease or
-
Liver disease, severe - These conditions sometimes increase the
effects of medicines by causing them to be removed from the body more slowly
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