Alkeran Injection
- Generic Name: melphalan hcl injection
- Brand Name: Alkeran Injection
Alkeran Injection (Melphalan Hcl Injection) side effects drug center
Alkeran Injection Side Effects Center
What Is Alkeran Injection?
Alkeran Injection (melphalan) is a drug prescribed for the treatment of multiple myeloma and ovarian cancer.
What Are Side Effects of Alkeran Injection?
Side effects of Alkeran Injection include:
- weight loss,
- loss of appetite,
- weakness,
- blistering skin or acne,
- nausea,
- vomiting,
- diarrhea,
- white patches or sores inside your mouth or on your lips,
- temporary hair loss, or
- skin itching and rash
Severe side effects of Alkeran Injection may occur.
Dosage for Alkeran Injection
Alkeran Injection is available in 2 mg tablets and should be administered only by a physician qualified in chemotherapy treatment. The usual oral dose is 6 mg (3 tablets) daily. The entire daily dose may be given at one time. Alkernan should be administered in carefully adjusted dosage by or under the supervision of experienced physicians who are familiar with the drug's actions and possible complications of its use.
What Drugs, Substances, or Supplements Interact with Alkeran Injection?
Alkeran Injection may interact with "live" vaccines, cyclosporine, radiation therapy, steroids or other chemotherapy medicines. Tell your doctor all medications and supplements you use and all vaccines you recently received.
Alkeran Injection During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Alkernan may cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. If this drug is used during pregnancy, or if the patient becomes pregnant while taking this drug, the patient should be apprised of the potential hazard to the fetus. Women of child bearing potential should be advised to avoid becoming pregnant. It is not known whether this drug is excreted in human milk. Alkeran Injection should not be given to nursing mothers and has not been approved for use in pediatric populations.
Additional Information
Our Alkeran Injection (melphalan) Side Effects Drug Center provides a comprehensive view of available drug information on the potential side effects when taking this medication.
Alkeran Injection Consumer Information
Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives, itching, skin redness; blurred vision, feeling light-headed; fast heartbeats; trouble breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Call your doctor at once if you have:
- low white blood cell counts--fever, chills, cough, pain or burning when you urinate.
- low red blood cells (anemia)--pale skin, unusual tiredness, feeling light-headed or short of breath, cold hands and feet;
- easy bruising, unusual bleeding, purple or red spots under your skin;
- sores or white patches in or around your mouth, trouble swallowing or talking, dry mouth, bad breath, altered sense of taste;
- severe ongoing nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea;
- new or worsening cough, fever, trouble breathing;
- unusual lumps or masses;
- missed menstrual periods;
- inflammation of your blood vessels--warmth or tingling, skin rash, fever, headache, body aches, night sweats, weight loss, feeling or weak or tired;
- liver problems--loss of appetite, stomach pain (upper right side), dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes); or
- low potassium level--leg cramps, constipation, irregular heartbeats, fluttering in your chest, increased thirst or urination, numbness or tingling, muscle weakness or limp feeling.
Common side effects may include:
- low blood cell counts;
- mouth sores;
- tiredness;
- low potassium levels; or
- hair loss.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
Read the entire detailed patient monograph for Alkeran Injection (Melphalan Hcl Injection)
Alkeran Injection Professional Information
SIDE EFFECTS
(SEE OVERDOSAGE)
The following information on adverse reactions is based on data from both oral and IV administration of melphalan as a single agent, using several different dose schedules for treatment of a wide variety of malignancies.
Hematologic: The most common side effect is bone marrow suppression leading to leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and anemia. White blood cell count and platelet count nadirs usually occur 2 to 3 weeks after treatment, with recovery in 4 to 5 weeks after treatment. Irreversible bone marrow failure has been reported.
Gastrointestinal: Gastrointestinal disturbances such as nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, and oral ulceration occur infrequently. Hepatic disorders ranging from abnormal liver function tests to clinical manifestations such as hepatitis and jaundice have been reported. Hepatic veno-occlusive disease has been reported.
Hypersensitivity:Acute hypersensitivity reactions including anaphylaxis were reported in 2.4% of 425 patients receiving ALKERAN for Injection for myeloma (see WARNINGS). These reactions were characterized by urticaria, pruritus, edema, skin rashes, and in some patients, tachycardia, bronchospasm, dyspnea, and hypotension. These patients appeared to respond to antihistamine and corticosteroid therapy. If a hypersensitivity reaction occurs, IV or oral melphalan should not be readministered since hypersensitivity reactions have also been reported with oral melphalan. Cardiac arrest has also been reported rarely in association with such reports.
Miscellaneous: Other reported adverse reactions include skin hypersensitivity, skin ulceration at injection site, skin necrosis rarely requiring skin grafting, maculopapular rashes, vasculitis, alopecia, hemolytic anemia, allergic reaction, pulmonary fibrosis (including fatal outcomes), and interstitial pneumonitis. Temporary significant elevation of the blood urea has been seen in the early stages of therapy in patients with renal damage. Subjective and transient sensation of warmth and/or tingling.
Read the entire FDA prescribing information for Alkeran Injection (Melphalan Hcl Injection)
&Copy; Alkeran Injection Patient Information is supplied by Cerner Multum, Inc. and Alkeran Injection Consumer information is supplied by First Databank, Inc., used under license and subject to their respective copyrights.