Cytarabine Side Effects and Warnings

What are the precautions when taking this medicine?

• Avoid alcohol (includes wine, beer, and liquor).

• Talk with healthcare provider before using aspirin, aspirin-containing products, other pain medicines, blood thinners, garlic, ginseng, ginkgo, or vitamin E.

• You may bleed more easily. Be careful. Avoid injury. Use soft toothbrush, electric razor.

• Check medicines with healthcare provider. This medicine may not mix well with other medicines.

• Talk with healthcare provider before receiving any vaccinations. Use with this medicine may either increase the risk of serious infection or make the vaccination less effective.

• Use birth control that you can trust to prevent pregnancy while taking this medicine.

• If you are a male and sexually active, protect your partner from pregnancy. Use birth control that you can trust.

What are some possible side effects of this medicine?

• Risk of infection. Avoid people with infections, colds, or flu.

• Anemia, low white blood cell count, and low platelet count.

• Feeling tired or weak.

• Nausea or vomiting. Small frequent meals, frequent mouth care, sucking hard, sugar-free candy, or chewing sugar-free gum may help.

• Diarrhea.

• Hair loss. Hair usually grows back when medicine is stopped.

• Skin irritation.

• Eye irritation.

• Mouth irritation. Frequent mouth care with a soft toothbrush or cotton swabs and rinsing mouth may help.

• Infertility.

Reasons to call healthcare provider immediately

• If you suspect an overdose, call your local poison control center or emergency department immediately.

• Signs of a life-threatening reaction. These include wheezing; chest tightness; fever; itching; bad cough; blue skin color; fits; or swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat.

• Signs or symptoms of infection. These include a fever of 100.5 degrees or higher, chills, severe sore throat, ear or sinus pain, cough, increased sputum or change in color, painful urination, mouth sores, wound that will not heal, or anal itching or pain.

• Difficulty breathing.

• Persistent cough.

• Severe belly pain.

• Severe nausea or vomiting.

• Severe diarrhea.

• Unusual bruising or bleeding.

• Dark urine or yellow skin or eyes.

• Not able to eat.

• Feeling extremely tired or weak.

• Any rash.

• No improvement in condition or feeling worse.