Pentostatin can cause kidney, liver, lung, and neurological toxicity. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately: weakness, change in vision or hearing, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, tingling of the hands or feet, mental confusion, or loss of coordination. Your doctor will order certain lab tests to check your response to pentostatin.
Your doctor has ordered the drug pentostatin to help treat your illness. The drug can be given by injection into a vein.
This medication is used to treat:
This medication is sometimes prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
Pentostatin is a type of antibiotic that is only used for chemotherapy; it slows or stops the growth of cancer cells in your body. The length of treatment depends on the types of drugs you are taking, how well your body responds to them, and the type of cancer you have.
Pentostatin also is used to treat acute lymphocytic leukemia, mycosis fungoides, prolymphocytic leukemia (B-cell and T-cell origin), T-cell leukemia, and lymphoma. Talk to your doctor about the possible risks of using this drug for your condition.
Before taking pentostatin,
Side effects from pentostatin are common and include:
Tell your doctor if either of these symptoms is severe or lasts for several hours:
If you experience any of the following symptoms or those listed in the IMPORTANT WARNING section call your doctor immediately:
If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor may send a report to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online [at Web Site] or by phone [1-800-332-1088].
In case of overdose, call your local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222. If the victim has collapsed or is not breathing, call local emergency services at 911.
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Copyright © 2007 EBSCO Publishing All rights reserved.