venetoclax
What is the most important information I should know about venetoclax?
Tell your doctor about all your current medicines and any you start or stop using. Many drugs can interact, and some drugs should not be used together.
Call your doctor at once if you have a fever, chills, joint or muscle pain, tiredness, confusion, shortness of breath, fast or slow heartbeats, nausea, vomiting, dark or cloudy urine, or a seizure (convulsions).
Drink 6 to 8 full glasses of water each day to help prevent these side effects.
What is venetoclax?
Venetoclax is used to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic leukemia in adults. Venetoclax is used alone or in combination with other cancer medicines to treat these conditions. Venetoclax is used in combination with azacitidine, decitabine, or cytarabine to treat acute myeloid leukemia. This combination is for use in adults who are 75 years or older, or who cannot use standard chemotherapy due to other medical conditions. Venetoclax is sometimes given after other treatments have failed. Venetoclax may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.
What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking venetoclax?
You should not use venetoclax if you are allergic to it.
Some medicines can cause unwanted or dangerous effects when used with venetoclax. Your doctor may need to change your treatment plan if you also use:
- an antibiotic or antifungal medicine;
- heart medication; or
- antiviral medicine to treat hepatitis C or HIV.
Tell your doctor about all medicines you use. Do not start or stop using any medicine without asking your doctor.
Tell your doctor if you have ever had:
- liver or kidney disease;
- an electrolyte imbalance (such as low levels of potassium or calcium in your blood);
- gout, or high levels of uric acid in your blood; or
- if you are scheduled to receive any vaccine.
You may need to have a negative pregnancy test before starting this treatment.
Do not use venetoclax if you are pregnant. It could harm the unborn baby. Tell your doctor right away if you become pregnant while taking venetoclax. Use effective birth control to prevent pregnancy while you are using this medicine and for at least 30 days after your last dose.
This medicine may affect fertility (ability to have children) in men. Talk to your doctor if you are concerned about this risk.
You should not breast-feed while using this medicine.
How should I take venetoclax?
Follow all directions on your prescription label and read all medication guides or instruction sheets. Your doctor may occasionally change your dose. Use the medicine exactly as directed. You may receive your first dose in a hospital or clinic setting to quickly treat any serious side effects.
Take venetoclax with food and water, at the same time each day.
Do not crush, chew, or break a venetoclax tablet. Swallow it whole.
If you vomit shortly after taking venetoclax, do not take another tablet. Wait until the next day to take your medicine at the scheduled time.
To prevent certain side effects, drink 6 to 8 glasses of water daily for 2 days before you start taking venetoclax. Also drink 6 to 8 glasses of water on the day you first take venetoclax, and whenever your dose is changed.
Venetoclax can lower your blood cell counts. Your blood will need to be tested often. Your cancer treatments may be delayed based on the results of these tests.
Do not stop using venetoclax without first asking your doctor.
Store tablets in their original container at room temperature, away from moisture and heat. Do not put venetoclax tablets into a daily pill box.
What happens if I miss a dose?
Use the medicine as soon as you can, but skip the missed dose if you are more than 8 hours late for the dose. Do not use two doses at one time.
What happens if I overdose?
Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222.
What should I avoid while taking venetoclax?
Do not receive a "live" vaccine while using venetoclax. The vaccine may not work as well during this time, and may not fully protect you from disease. Live vaccines include measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), polio, rotavirus, typhoid, yellow fever, varicella (chickenpox), and zoster (shingles). Grapefruit and Seville oranges may interact with venetoclax and lead to unwanted side effects. Avoid the use of grapefruit products and orange marmalades.
What are the possible side effects of venetoclax?
Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Call your doctor at once if you have:
-
signs of pneumonia --cough with yellow or green mucus, stabbing chest pain, wheezing, trouble breathing;
-
low blood cell counts --fever, chills, flu-like symptoms, swollen gums, mouth sores, skin sores, pale or yellowed skin, dark colored urine, confusion or weakness; or
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signs of tumor cell breakdown --fever, chills, joint or muscle pain, feeling tired or short of breath, fast or slow heartbeats, confusion, nausea, vomiting, dark or cloudy urine, or seizure (convulsions).
Your cancer treatments may be delayed or permanently discontinued if you have certain side effects. Common side effects may include:
- nausea, diarrhea;
- feeling tired;
- easy bruising, unusual bleeding; or
- cold symptoms such as stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
What other drugs will affect venetoclax?
Sometimes it is not safe to use certain medications at the same time. Some drugs can affect your blood levels of other drugs you take, which may increase side effects or make the medications less effective.
Many drugs can affect venetoclax. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Not all possible interactions are listed here. Tell your doctor about all your current medicines and any medicine you start or stop using.
Where can I get more information?
Your pharmacist can provide more information about venetoclax.
Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum'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. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum 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.
Copyright 1996-2020 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version: 5.01. Revision date: 5/29/2019.
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