Doxorubicin Hydrochloride Liposome (Intravenous Route)

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Precautions

It is very important that your doctor check your progress at regular visits to make sure that this medicine is working properly. Your doctor will need to check your blood for unwanted effects .

Check with your doctor immediately if you are having chest pain or discomfort, fast or irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath, swelling of the feet and lower legs, or troubled breathing. These could be symptoms of a serious heart problem .

Acute infusion-related reactions can occur during treatment with this medicine. Symptoms of this reaction include: flushing; shortness of breath; swelling of the face; headache; chills; chest pain; back pain; tightness in chest and throat; fever; itching skin; rash; bluish color of fingernails, lips, skin, palms, or nail beds; difficulty breathing; wheezing; fainting; lightheadedness; or fast, pounding, or irregular heartbeat or pulse .

This medicine may cause hand-foot syndrome. Check with your doctor right away if you experience tingling or burning, redness, swelling, blistering, or small sores on the palms of your hands or soles of your feet.

You should not receive this medicine if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Using this medicine while you are pregnant can harm your unborn baby. Use an effective form of birth control to keep from getting pregnant. If you think you have become pregnant while using the medicine, tell your doctor right away .

While you are being treated with liposomal doxorubicin, and after you stop treatment with it, do not have any immunizations (vaccinations) without your doctor's approval. Liposomal doxorubicin may lower your body's resistance and there is a chance you might get the infection the immunization is meant to prevent. In addition, other persons living in your household should not take oral poliovirus vaccine since there is a chance they could pass the poliovirus on to you. Also, avoid persons who have taken oral poliovirus vaccine. 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 the mouth.

Liposomal doxorubicin 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.
• 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 can occur.

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

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.

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