Chemotherapy Drug Information
<< BackFludarabine
Your doctor has ordered the drug fludarabine to help treat your illness. The drug is given by injection into a vein. Fludarabine is in a class of drugs known as purine analogs; 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.
Fludarabine can cause a decrease in the number of blood cells in your bone marrow. Fludarabine also can cause neurotoxicity. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately: tingling of the hands or feet, mental confusion, or loss of coordination.
Before taking fludarabine,
- Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had kidney disease.
- You should know that fludarabine 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. Fludarabine may harm the fetus.
Side effects from fludarabine are common and include:
- loss of appetite
- nausea
- vomiting
- thinned or brittle hair
- constipation
- diarrhea
- headache
- mouth blistering
- fatigue or weakness
If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:
- unusual bleeding or bruising
- fever
- chills
- shortness of breath
- chest pain or discomfort
- rash or itching
- change in normal bowel habits for more than 2 days