Pentostatin Side Effects and Warnings

What are the precautions when taking this medicine?

• 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.

• If you have kidney disease, talk with healthcare provider.

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

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

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

• Tell dentists, surgeons, and other healthcare providers that you use this medicine.

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

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.

• Flu-like symptoms. These include headache, weakness, fever, shakes, aches, pains, and sweating. Mild pain medicine may help.

• Nausea or vomiting.

• Diarrhea.

• Belly pain.

• Not hungry.

• Cough.

• Runny nose.

• Itching.

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

• Rash.

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.

• Chest pain or pressure or fast heartbeat.

• Difficulty breathing.

• Significant change in thinking clearly and logically.

• Significant weight loss.

• Severe belly pain.

• Severe nausea or vomiting.

• Severe diarrhea, even after medicine is stopped.

• Unusual bruising or bleeding.

• Unable to pass urine.

• Feeling extremely tired or weak.

• Dark urine or yellow skin or eyes.

• Severe swelling.

• Any rash.

• No improvement in condition or feeling worse.