OTN Mitoxantrone

Generic name: Mitoxantrone
Drug class: Antibiotics / antineoplastics

Usage of OTN Mitoxantrone

Mitoxantrone injection is used alone or together with other medicines to treat advanced prostate cancer and acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL). It belongs to the group of medicines known as antineoplastics or cancer medicines. Mitoxantrone is also used to treat some forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). This medicine will not cure MS, but it may extend the time between relapses.

Mitoxantrone interferes with the growth of cancer cells, which are eventually destroyed. Since the growth of normal body cells may also be affected by mitoxantrone, other unwanted effects will also occur. Some of these may be serious and must be reported to your doctor. Other effects, like hair loss, may not be serious but may cause concern. Some unwanted effects may not occur for months or years after the medicine is used.

Before you begin treatment with mitoxantrone, you and your doctor should talk about the good this medicine will do as well as the risks of using it.

This medicine is to be administered only by or under the immediate supervision of your doctor.

OTN Mitoxantrone side effects

Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Check with your doctor or nurse immediately if any of the following side effects occur:

More common

Black, tarry stools

bladder pain

bloody or cloudy urine

cough or shortness of breath

difficult, burning, or painful urination

dizziness

fainting

fast, slow, or irregular heartbeat

frequent urge to urinate

lower back or side pain

pale skin

stomach pain

swelling or inflammation of the mouth

troubled breathing with exertion

ulcers, sores, or white spots in the mouth

unusual bleeding or bruising

unusual tiredness or weakness

Less common

Blood in the urine or stools

decrease in urination

fever or chills

pinpoint red spots on the skin

seizures

sore, red eyes

swelling of the feet and lower legs

yellow eyes or skin

Rare

Blue skin at the place of injection

pain or redness at the place of injection

skin rash

Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:

More common

Absent, missed, or irregular menstrual periods

back pain

body aches or pains

congestion

constipation

diarrhea

dryness or soreness of the throat

hair loss

headache

longer or heavier menstrual periods

nausea or vomiting

oral bleeding

pain or tenderness around the eyes and cheekbones

runny nose

sneezing

stopping of menstrual bleeding

stuffy nose

tender, swollen glands in the neck

thinning of the hair

Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Before taking OTN Mitoxantrone

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 this medicine, the following should be considered:

Allergies

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric

Appropriate studies have not been performed on the relationship of age to the effects of mitoxantrone injection in the pediatric population. Safety and efficacy have not been established.

Geriatric

Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of mitoxantrone injection in the elderly. However, elderly patients are more likely to have age-related medical problems, which may require caution in patients receiving mitoxantrone.

Breast Feeding

There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding.

Interactions with 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 this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.

Measles Virus Vaccine, Live

Mumps Virus Vaccine, Live

Rotavirus Vaccine, Live

Rubella Virus Vaccine, Live

Varicella Virus Vaccine, Live

Zoster Vaccine, Live

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

Adenovirus Vaccine

Bacillus of Calmette and Guerin Vaccine, Live

Cholera Vaccine, Live

Dengue Tetravalent Vaccine, Live

Influenza Virus Vaccine, Live

Poliovirus Vaccine, Live

Smallpox Vaccine

Typhoid Vaccine, Live

Valspodar

Yellow Fever Vaccine

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines may cause an increased risk of certain side effects, but using both drugs may be the best treatment for you. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

Eltrombopag

Interactions with Food/Tobacco/Alcohol

Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco.

Relate drugs

How to use OTN Mitoxantrone

Mitoxantrone is sometimes given together with certain other medicines. If you are using a combination of medicines, it is important that you receive each one at the proper time. If you are taking some of these medicines by mouth, ask your doctor to help you plan a way to take them at the right times.

A nurse or other trained health professional will give you this medicine in a hospital or cancer clinic. This medicine is given through a needle placed in one of your veins.

If you have pain, burning, redness, or swelling of your skin area where the needle is placed, tell your doctor or nurse right away.

If this medicine gets on your skin, rinse the area well with warm water and tell your doctor. If the medicine gets in your eyes, rinse your eyes with large amounts of water, and tell your doctor.

While you are receiving mitoxantrone, your doctor may want you to drink extra fluids so you will pass more urine. This will help prevent kidney problems and keep your kidneys working well.

Mitoxantrone often causes nausea and vomiting. However, it is very important that you continue to receive the medicine, even if your stomach is upset. Ask your doctor for ways to lessen these effects.

This medicine comes with a patient package insert. Read and follow the information carefully. Ask your doctor if you have any questions.

Warnings

It is very important that your doctor check your progress at regular visits to make sure that this medicine is working properly. Blood tests and tests for your heart function may be needed to check for unwanted effects.

You should not receive this medicine if you are pregnant. Using this medicine while you are pregnant can harm your unborn baby. Use an effective form of birth control to keep from getting pregnant. If you think you have become pregnant while using the medicine, tell your doctor right away. Also, your doctor may require you to have a pregnancy test before you receive each dose of this medicine, to make sure you are not pregnant.

Check with your doctor right away if you are having chest pain or discomfort; fast or irregular heartbeats; shortness of breath; swelling of the feet and lower legs; or troubled breathing. These could be symptoms of a serious heart problem.

This medicine may change the color of your urine to a bluish-green color. The whites of your eyes may also appear slightly bluish-green. This is normal, especially within the first 24 hours after you receive the medicine.

While you are being treated with mitoxantrone, and after you stop treatment with it, do not have any immunizations (vaccines) without your doctor's approval. Mitoxantrone may lower your body's resistance and there is a chance you might get the infection the immunization is meant to prevent. In addition, other persons living in your household should not receive live virus vaccines (eg, nasal flu vaccine, measles, mumps, or rubella) since there is a chance they could pass the virus to you. Also, avoid persons who have received live virus vaccines. Do not get close to them and do not stay in the same room with them for very long. If you cannot take these precautions, you should consider wearing a protective face mask that covers the nose and mouth.

Mitoxantrone can temporarily lower the number of white blood cells in your blood, increasing the chance of getting an infection. It can also lower the number of platelets, which are necessary for proper blood clotting. If this occurs, there are certain precautions you can take, especially when your blood count is low, to reduce the risk of infection or bleeding:

If you can, avoid people with infections. Check with your doctor immediately if you think you are getting an infection or if you get a fever or chills, cough or hoarseness, lower back or side pain, or painful or difficult urination.

Check with your doctor immediately if you notice any unusual bleeding or bruising; black, tarry stools; blood in the urine or stools; or pinpoint red spots on your skin.

Be careful when using a regular toothbrush, dental floss, or toothpick. Your medical doctor, dentist, or nurse may recommend other ways to clean your teeth and gums. Check with your medical doctor before having any dental work done.

Do not touch your eyes or the inside of your nose unless you have just washed your hands and have not touched anything else in the meantime.

Be careful not to cut yourself when you are using sharp objects such as a safety razor or fingernail or toenail cutters.

Avoid contact sports or other situations where bruising or injury could occur.

Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This includes prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicines and herbal or vitamin supplements.

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.