Mitoxantrone (Systemic)

Brand Names : Novantrone

Before Using This Medicine

In 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 mitoxantrone, the following should be considered:

Allergies - Tell your health care professional if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to mitoxantrone.

Pregnancy - Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or if you intend to have children. There is a chance that this medicine may cause birth defects if either the male or female is receiving it at the time of conception or if it is taken during pregnancy. Mitoxantrone has been reported to cause low birth weight and slow growth of the kidney in rats and premature birth in rabbits. In addition, many cancer medicines may cause sterility, which could be permanent. Although sterility has not been reported with this medicine, the possibility should be kept in mind.

Be sure that you have discussed this with your doctor before receiving this medicine. It is best to use some kind of birth control while you are receiving mitoxantrone. Tell your doctor right away if you think you have become pregnant while receiving mitoxantrone.

Breast-feeding - Tell your doctor if you are breast-feeding or if you intend to breast-feed during treatment with this medicine. It is not known whether mitoxantrone passes into breast milk. However, because mitoxantrone 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 mitoxantrone in children with use in other age groups.

Older adults - Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults or if they cause different side effects or problems in older people. There is no specific information comparing use of mitoxantrone in the elderly with use in other age groups.

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 receiving mitoxantrone, 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 been treated with radiation or cancer medicines - Mitoxantrone may increase the effects of these medicines or radiation on the blood

• Probenecid (e.g., Benemid) or
• Sulfinpyrazone (e.g., Anturane) - Mitoxantrone may increase the concentration of uric acid in the blood. Since these medicines are used to lower uric acid levels, they may not work as well in patients receiving mitoxantrone

Other medical problems - The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of mitoxantrone. 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 affecting other parts of the body

• Gout (history of) or
• Kidney stones - Mitoxantrone may increase levels of uric acid in the body, which can cause gout or kidney stones

• Heart disease - Risk of heart problems caused by mitoxantrone may be increased

• Infection - Mitoxantrone may decrease your body's ability to fight infection

• Liver disease - Effects of mitoxantrone may be increased because of slower removal from the body