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Altretamine

Brand Names

; Hexalen®

Therapeutic Categories

Antineoplastic Agent, Miscellaneous

Reasons not to take this medicine

• If you have an allergy to altretamine or any other part of the medicine.
• If you have any of the following conditions: Severe bone marrow disease or severe nerve problems.
• If you are pregnant.

What is this medicine used for?

• This medicine is used to treat ovarian cancer.

How does it work?

• Altretamine may kill cells. How it does this is unknown.

How is it best taken?

• Take with meals and at bedtime.

What do I do if I miss a dose?

• Take a missed dose as soon as possible.
• If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed one. Return to your regular schedule.
• Do not take a double dose or extra doses.

What are the precautions when taking this medicine?

• If you are 65 or older, you may have more side effects especially dizziness.
• Avoid alcohol (includes wine, beer, and liquor).
• Do not take cimetidine with this medicine.
• Do not use antidepressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitors. These include isocarboxazid, phenelzine, and tranylcypromine. Can cause dizziness when used with this medicine. Talk with healthcare provider.
• Avoid aspirin, aspirin-containing products, ibuprofen or like products, other blood thinners (warfarin, ticlopidine, clopidogrel), garlic, ginseng, ginkgo, vitamin E.
• You will bleed easily. Be careful. Avoid injury.
• Tell healthcare provider if you are allergic to any medicine. Make sure to tell about the allergy and how it affected you. This includes telling about rash; hives; itching; shortness of breath; wheezing; cough; swelling of face, lips, tongue, throat; or any other symptoms involved.
• Do not use in pregnancy and do not get pregnant. Use birth control that you can trust while taking this medicine.
• Do not use if you are breast-feeding.

What are the common side effects of this medicine?

• Nausea or vomiting. Small frequent meals, frequent mouth care, sucking hard candy, or chewing gum may help. You may need a medicine to decrease this side effect. Talk with healthcare provider.
• Numbness, tingling, or pain in hands and feet. Usually goes away when medicine stopped.
• Anemia.
• Dizziness. Avoid driving, doing other tasks or activities that require you to be alert until you see how this medicine affects you.

What should I monitor?

• Check blood work. Talk with healthcare provider.
• Follow up with healthcare provider.

Reasons to call healthcare provider immediately

• Signs of a life-threatening reaction. These include wheezing; tightness in the chest; fever; itching; bad cough; blue skin color; fits; swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat.
• Fever and/or chills.
• Severe nausea or vomiting.
• Unusual bruising or bleeding.
• Any rash.
• No improvement in condition or feeling worse.

How should I store this medicine?

• Store in a tight container at room temperature.

General statements

• Do not share your medicine with others and do not take anyone else's medicine.
• Keep all medicine out of the reach of children and pets.
• Keep a list of all your medicines (prescription, herbal/supplements, vitamins, over-the-counter) with you. Give this list to healthcare provider (doctor, nurse, pharmacist, physician assistant).
• Talk with healthcare provider before starting any new medicine, including over-the-counter or natural products (herbs, vitamins).