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| Pronunciation |
|
 (al
TRET a
meen) |
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| Brand Names |
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| Hexalen® |
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| Therapeutic
Categories |
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Antineoplastic Agent, Miscellaneous |
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| Reasons not to take this
medicine |
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|
- If you have an allergy to altretamine or any other part of the
medicine.
- If you have any of the following conditions: Severe bone marrow
disease or severe nerve problems.
- If you are pregnant.
|
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|
| What is this medicine used
for? |
|
|
- This medicine is used to treat ovarian
cancer.
|
|
|
| How does it work? |
|
|
- Altretamine may kill cells. How it does this is
unknown.
|
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|
| How is it best taken? |
|
|
- Take with meals and at
bedtime.
|
|
|
| What do I do if I miss a
dose? |
|
|
- Take a missed dose as soon as possible.
- If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed one. Return to
your regular schedule.
- Do not take a double dose or extra
doses.
|
|
|
| What are the precautions when
taking this
medicine? |
|
|
- If you are 65 or older, you may have more side effects especially
dizziness.
- Avoid alcohol (includes wine, beer, and liquor).
- Do not take cimetidine with this medicine.
- Do not use antidepressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitors. These
include isocarboxazid, phenelzine, and tranylcypromine. Can cause dizziness when
used with this medicine. Talk with healthcare provider.
- Avoid aspirin, aspirin-containing products, ibuprofen or like
products, other blood thinners (warfarin, ticlopidine, clopidogrel), garlic,
ginseng, ginkgo, vitamin E.
- You will bleed easily. Be careful. Avoid injury.
- Tell healthcare provider if you are allergic to any medicine. Make
sure to tell about the allergy and how it affected you. This includes telling
about rash; hives; itching; shortness of breath; wheezing; cough; swelling of
face, lips, tongue, throat; or any other symptoms involved.
- Do not use in pregnancy and do not get pregnant. Use birth control
that you can trust while taking this medicine.
- Do not use if you are
breast-feeding.
|
|
|
| What are the common side effects
of this
medicine? |
|
|
- Nausea or vomiting. Small frequent meals, frequent mouth care, sucking
hard candy, or chewing gum may help. You may need a medicine to decrease this
side effect. Talk with healthcare provider.
- Numbness, tingling, or pain in hands and feet. Usually goes away when
medicine stopped.
- Anemia.
- Dizziness. Avoid driving, doing other tasks or activities that require
you to be alert until you see how this medicine affects
you.
|
|
|
| What should I monitor? |
|
|
- Check blood work. Talk with healthcare provider.
- Follow up with healthcare
provider.
|
|
|
| Reasons to call healthcare
provider
immediately |
|
|
- Signs of a life-threatening reaction. These include wheezing;
tightness in the chest; fever; itching; bad cough; blue skin color; fits;
swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat.
- Fever and/or chills.
- Severe nausea or vomiting.
- Unusual bruising or bleeding.
- Any rash.
- No improvement in condition or feeling
worse.
|
|
|
| How should I store this
medicine? |
|
|
- Store in a tight container at room
temperature.
|
|
|
| General statements |
|
|
- Do not share your medicine with others and do not take anyone else's
medicine.
- Keep all medicine out of the reach of children and pets.
- Keep a list of all your medicines (prescription, herbal/supplements,
vitamins, over-the-counter) with you. Give this list to healthcare provider
(doctor, nurse, pharmacist, physician assistant).
- Talk with healthcare provider before starting any new medicine,
including over-the-counter or natural products (herbs,
vitamins).
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Copyright © 1978-2001 Lexi-Comp Inc. All Rights Reserved
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The publisher does not accept any responsibility for the accuracy of the information or the consequences arising from the application, use, or misuse of any of the information contained herein, including any injury and/or damage to any person or property as a matter of product liability, negligence, or otherwise. No warranty, expressed or implied, is made in regard to the contents of this material. No claims or endorsements are made for any drugs or compounds currently marketed or in investigative use. This material is not intended as a guide to self-medication. The reader is advised to discuss the information provided here with a doctor, pharmacist, nurse, or other authorized healthcare practitioner and to check product information (including package inserts) regarding dosage, precautions, warnings, interactions, and contraindications before administering any drug, herb, or supplement discussed herein.
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