vinblastine Intravenous

vin-BLAS-teen

Intravenous route(Solution;Powder for Solution)

Intravenous needle or catheter must be properly positioned before any vinblastine is injected as leakage into the surrounding tissue may cause considerable irritation. If extravasation occurs, the injection should be discontinued immediately, and any remaining portion of the dose should then be introduced into another vein. Local injection of hyaluronidase and the application of moderate heat to the area of leakage help disperse the drug and are thought to minimize discomfort and the possibility of cellulitis .

Commonly used brand name(s)

In the U.S.

• Velban

Available Dosage Forms:

• Solution


• Powder for Solution

Therapeutic Class: Antineoplastic Agent

Pharmacologic Class: Mitotic Inhibitor

Uses For vinblastine

Vinblastine belongs to the group of medicines known as antineoplastic agents. It is used to treat certain kinds of cancer, including lymphoma and cancer of the breast or testicles, as well as some noncancerous conditions.

Vinblastine interferes with the growth of cancer cells, which are eventually destroyed. Since the growth of normal body cells may also be affected by vinblastine, other effects will also occur. Some of these may be serious and must be reported to your doctor. Other effects, such as hair loss, may not be serious but may cause concern. Some effects do not occur until months or years after the medicine is used.

Before you begin treatment with vinblastine, you and your doctor should talk about the good vinblastine will do as well as the risks of using it.

Vinblastine is to be administered only by or under the immediate supervision of your doctor.

Once a medicine has been approved for marketing for a certain use, experience may show that it is also useful for other medical problems. Although these uses are not included in product labeling, vinblastine is used in certain patients with the following medical conditions:

• Cancer of the bladder


• Cancer of the kidneys


• Cancer of the lungs


• Cancer of the prostate


• Germ cell ovarian tumors (a certain type of cancer of the ovaries)


• Malignant melanoma

Before Using vinblastine

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For vinblastine, the following should be considered:

Allergies

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to vinblastine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric

vinblastine has been tested in children and has not been shown to cause different side effects or problems than it does in adults.

Geriatric

Many medicines have not been tested in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults or if they cause different side effects or problems in older people. There is no specific information about the use of vinblastine in the elderly.

Pregnancy

	Pregnancy Category	Explanation
All Trimesters	D	Studies in pregnant women have demonstrated a risk to the fetus. However, the benefits of therapy in a life threatening situation or a serious disease, may outweigh the potential risk.

Breast Feeding

There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding.

Interactions with Medicines

Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking vinblastine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using vinblastine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.

• Rotavirus Vaccine, Live

Using vinblastine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

• Adenovirus Vaccine Type 4, Live


• Adenovirus Vaccine Type 7, Live


• Aprepitant


• Bacillus of Calmette and Guerin Vaccine, Live


• Fosaprepitant


• Influenza Virus Vaccine, Live


• Itraconazole


• Lopinavir


• Measles Virus Vaccine, Live


• Mitomycin


• Mumps Virus Vaccine, Live


• Posaconazole


• Ritonavir


• Rotavirus Vaccine, Live


• Rubella Virus Vaccine, Live


• Smallpox Vaccine


• Typhoid Vaccine


• Varicella Virus Vaccine


• Voriconazole


• Yellow Fever Vaccine


• Zidovudine

Using vinblastine with any of the following medicines may cause an increased risk of certain side effects, but using both drugs may be the best treatment for you. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

• Dalfopristin


• Quinupristin


• Tolterodine

Interactions with Food/Tobacco/Alcohol

Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco.

Other Medical Problems

The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of vinblastine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Chickenpox (including recent exposure) or


• Herpes zoster (shingles)—Risk of severe disease affecting other parts of the body

• Gout (history of) or


• Kidney stones (history of)—Vinblastine may increase levels of uric acid in the body, which can cause gout or kidney stones

• Infection—Vinblastine may decrease your body's ability to fight infection

• Liver disease—Effects may be increased because of slower removal of vinblastine from the body

Proper Use of vinblastine

Vinblastine is sometimes given together with certain other medicines. If you are using a combination of medicines, it is important that you receive each one at the proper time. If you are taking some of these medicines by mouth, ask your health care professional to help you plan a way to take them at the right times.

While you are using vinblastine, your doctor may want you to drink extra fluids so that you will pass more urine. This will help prevent kidney problems and keep your kidneys working well.

Vinblastine sometimes causes nausea and vomiting. However, it is very important that you continue to receive the medicine, even if you begin to feel ill. Ask your health care professional for ways to lessen these effects.

Dosing

The dose of vinblastine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of vinblastine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine.

Precautions While Using vinblastine

It is very important that your doctor check your progress at regular visits to make sure that vinblastine is working properly and to check for unwanted effects.

While you are being treated with vinblastine, and after you stop treatment with it, do not have any immunizations (vaccinations) without your doctor's approval. Vinblastine may lower your body's resistance and there is a chance you might get the infection the immunization is meant to prevent. Other people living in your household should not take oral polio vaccine since there is a chance they could pass the polio virus on to you. Also, avoid persons who have taken oral polio vaccine within the past several months. Do not get close to them, and do not stay in the same room with them for very long. If you cannot take these precautions, you should consider wearing a protective face mask that covers the nose and mouth.

Vinblastine can temporarily lower the number of white blood cells in your blood, increasing the chance of getting an infection. It can also lower the number of platelets, which are necessary for proper blood clotting. If this occurs, there are certain precautions you can take, especially when your blood count is low, to reduce the risk of infection or bleeding:

• If you can, avoid people with infections. Check with your doctor immediately if you think you are getting an infection or if you get a fever or chills, cough or hoarseness, lower back or side pain, or painful or difficult urination.


• Check with your doctor immediately if you notice any unusual bleeding or bruising; black, tarry stools; blood in urine or stools; or pinpoint red spots on your skin.


• Be careful when using a regular toothbrush, dental floss, or toothpick. Your medical doctor, dentist, or nurse may recommend other ways to clean your teeth and gums. Check with your medical doctor before having any dental work done.


• Do not touch your eyes or the inside of your nose unless you have just washed your hands and have not touched anything else in the meantime.


• Be careful not to cut yourself when you are using sharp objects such as a safety razor or fingernail or toenail cutters.


• Avoid contact sports or other situations where bruising or injury could occur.

If vinblastine accidentally seeps out of the vein into which it is injected, it may damage the skin and cause some scarring. Tell the doctor or nurse right away if you notice redness, pain, or swelling at the place of injection.

vinblastine Side Effects

Along with their needed effects, medicines like vinblastine can sometimes cause unwanted effects such as blood problems, loss of hair, and other side effects. These and other effects are described below. Also, because of the way these medicines act on the body, there is a chance that they might cause other unwanted effects that may not occur until months or years after the medicine is used. These delayed effects may include certain types of cancer, such as leukemia. Discuss these possible effects with your doctor.

Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur:

More frequent

• Cough or hoarseness accompanied by fever or chills


• fever or chills


• lower back or side pain accompanied by fever or chills


• painful or difficult urination accompanied by fever or chills

Less common

• Blood in urine or stools


• pain or redness at place of injection


• pinpoint red spots on skin


• unusual bleeding or bruising

Rare

• Black, tarry stools

Check with your doctor as soon as possible if any of the following side effects occur:

Less common

• Joint pain


• sores in mouth and on lips


• swelling of feet or lower legs

Rare

• Difficulty in walking


• dizziness


• double vision


• drooping eyelids


• headache


• jaw pain


• mental depression


• numbness or tingling in fingers and toes


• pain in fingers and toes


• pain in testicles


• weakness

Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:

Less common

• Bone or muscle pain


• nausea and vomiting

vinblastine often causes a temporary loss of hair. After treatment with vinblastine has ended, or sometimes even during treatment, normal hair growth should return.

Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

See also: vinblastine Intravenous side effects (in more detail)

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More vinblastine Intravenous resources

• Vinblastine Intravenous Side Effects (in more detail)
• Vinblastine Intravenous Use in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
• Vinblastine Intravenous Drug Interactions
• Vinblastine Intravenous Support Group
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