Chemotherapy Drug Information
<< BackCarboplatin
Your doctor has ordered the drug carboplatin to help treat your illness. The drug is given by injection into a vein. Carboplatin is in a class of drugs known as platinum-containing compounds; 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.
Before taking carboplatin,
. Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had kidney disease and if you have ever taken platinum-containing compounds such as cisplatin (Platinol, CDDP).
. You should know that carboplatin 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 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. Carboplatin may harm the fetus.
. Tell your doctor if you are breast-feeding. Because of the danger of serious side effects to your baby, you should stop nursing while taking carboplatin.
Side effects from carboplatin are common and include:
- thinned or brittle hair
- loss of appetite or weight
- stomach pain
- diarrhea
- constipation
- nausea and vomiting
- changes in taste
- changes in vision
- numbness or tingling in the fingertips
- mouth blistering
- fatigue
If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:
- red urine
- unusual bruising or bleeding
- fever
- chills
- shortness of breath or wheezing
- swelling of the feet or ankles
- rash
- hearing loss