Complete adverse effect profile including incidence rates and management
Important Safety Information
This is not a complete list of all possible side effects. Contact your healthcare provider if you experience any unexpected symptoms. For serious or life-threatening side effects, seek emergency medical attention immediately.
ADVERSE REACTIONS Expected Reactions Because cytarabine is a bone marrow suppressant, anemia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, megaloblastosis and reduced reticulocytes can be expected as a result of administration with cytarabine.
The severity of these reactions are dose and schedule dependent.
Cellular changes in the morphology of bone marrow and peripheral smears can be expected.
Following 5-day constant infusions or acute injections of 50 mg/m 2 to 600 mg/m 2 , white cell depression follows a biphasic course.
Regardless of initial count, dosage level, or schedule, there is an initial fall starting the first 24 hours with a nadir at days 7 to
This is followed by a brief rise which peaks around the twelfth day.
A second and deeper fall reaches nadir at days 15 to
Then there is a rapid rise to above baseline in the next 10 days.
Platelet depression is noticeable at 5 days with a peak depression occurring between days 12 to
Thereupon, a rapid rise to above baseline occurs in the next 10 days.
WARNINGS ( See boxed WARNING ) Cytarabine is a potent bone marrow suppressant.
Therapy should be started cautiously in patients with pre-existing drug-induced bone marrow suppression.
Patients receiving this drug must be under close medical supervision and, during induction therapy, should have leucocyte and platelet counts performed daily.
Bone marrow examinations should be performed frequently after blasts have disappeared from the peripheral blood.
Facilities should be available for management of complications, possibly fatal, of bone marrow suppression (infection resulting from granulocytopenia and other impaired body defenses, and hemorrhage secondary to thrombocytopenia).
Like all medications, Cytarabine can cause side effects. However, not everyone who takes this medication will experience them. Many side effects are dose-dependent and may improve as your body adjusts to the medication. Others may require dose adjustment or medical attention.
Contact your healthcare provider promptly if you experience:
Seek immediate emergency medical care if you experience signs of: