Idarubicin (patient information)

IMPORTANT WARNING

Idarubicin can cause a decrease in the number of blood cells in your bone marrow. Idarubicin with prolonged use also can cause severe heart damage. Tell your doctor if you have had prior chemotherapy with daunorubicin, doxorubicin, or idarubicin. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately: back pain, flushing, or chest tightness. Your doctor will order certain lab tests to check your response to idarubicin.

About your treatment

Your doctor has ordered the drug idarubicin to help treat your illness. The drug is given by injection into a vein.

This medication is used to treat:

• acute myelocytic leukemia

This medication is sometimes prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Idarubicin is a type of antibiotic that is only used in cancer chemotherapy. It slows or stops the growth of cancer cells in your body. The length of treatment depends on the types of drugs you are taking, how well your body responds to them, and the type of cancer you have.

Other uses for this medicine

Idarubicin has been used to treat other types of leukemia. Talk to your doctor about the possible risks of using this drug for your condition.

Precautions

Before taking idarubicin:

• tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to idarubicin or any other drugs.
• tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications you are taking, especially aspirin and vitamins.
• tell your doctor if you have or have ever had heart, liver, or kidney disease.
• you should know that idarubicin may interfere with the normal menstrual cycle (period) in women and may stop sperm production in men. However, you should not assume that you cannot get pregnant or that you cannot get someone else pregnant. Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding should tell their doctors before they begin taking this drug. You should not plan to have children while receiving chemotherapy or for a while after treatments. (Talk to your doctor for further details.) Use a reliable method of birth control to prevent pregnancy. Idarubicin may harm the fetus.
• do not have any vaccinations (e.g., measles or flu shots) without talking to your doctor.

Side effects

Minor side effects

Side effects from idarubicin are common and include:

• nausea and vomiting
• loss of appetite
• diarrhea
• abdominal pain
• thinned or brittle hair

Tell your doctor if either of these symptoms is severe or lasts for several hours:

• fatigue
• mouth blistering

Severe side effects

If you experience any of the following symptoms or those listed in the IMPORTANT WARNINGS section, call your doctor immediately:

• unusual bruising or bleeding
• pain, redness, or swelling at the injection site
• persistent diarrhea or any change in normal bowel habits for more than 2 days
• rash
• fever
• chills
• dizziness
• shortness of breath

If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor may send a report to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online [at http://www.fda.gov/MedWatch/report.htm] or by phone [1-800-332-1088].

In case of emergency/overdose

In case of overdose, call your local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222. If the victim has collapsed or is not breathing, call local emergency services at 911.

Brand names

• Idamycin PFS®