Vinorelbine (Systemic)

Brand Names : Navelbine

Before Receiving This Medicine

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of receiving the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For vinorelbine, the following should be considered:

Allergies - Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to vinorelbine.

Pregnancy - Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or if you intend to have children. 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. In addition, many cancer medicines may cause sterility, which could be permanent. Although decreased fertility has been reported only in male rats with this medicine, the possibility of an effect in human males and females 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 vinorelbine. Tell your doctor right away if you think you have become pregnant while receiving vinorelbine.

Breast-feeding - Tell your doctor if you are breast-feeding or if you intend to breast-feed during treatment with this medicine. Because vinorelbine may cause serious side effects in nursing babies, breast-feeding is generally not recommended while you are receiving this medicine.

Children - There is no specific information comparing use of vinorelbine in children with use in other age groups. Safety and efficacy of vinorelbine in children have not been established.

Older adults - Vinorelbine has been studied in the elderly. Although patients older than 65 years of age have shown a slight increase in side effects compared with patients younger than 65 years of age, the overall safety and efficacy of vinorelbine are not different for older people.

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 vinorelbine, 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
• Cyclophosphamide (e.g., Cytoxan) or
• Flucytosine (e.g., Ancobon) or
• Ganciclovir (e.g., Cytovene) or
• Interferon (e.g., Intron A, Roferon-A) or
• Mercaptopurine (e.g., Purinethol) or
• Methotrexate (e.g., Mexate) or
• Mitomycin (e.g., Mutamycin) or
• Paclitaxel (e.g., Taxol) or
• Plicamycin (e.g., Mithracin) or
• Zidovudine (e.g., Retrovir) or
• If you have ever been treated with x-rays or cancer medicines - Vinorelbine may increase the effects of these medicines or radiation therapy on the blood

Other medical problems - The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of vinorelbine. 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

• Infection - Vinorelbine may decrease your body's ability to fight infections