Tocilizumab (Intravenous Route)

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Side Effects

Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

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

• Abdominal or stomach pain
• Black, tarry stools
• Bloody or cloudy urine
• Blurred vision
• Body aches or pain
• Chest pain
• Cough
• Cough producing mucus
• Diarrhea
• Difficult, burning, or painful urination
• Difficulty with breathing
• Difficulty with swallowing
• Dizziness
• Ear congestion
• Fast heartbeat
• Feeling of warmth
• Fever or chills
• Frequent urge to urinate
• Headache
• Hives
• Itching
• Loss of appetite
• Loss of consciousness
• Loss of voice
• Lower back or side pain
• Nasal congestion
• Nausea
• Nervousness
• Pain or tenderness around the eyes and cheekbones
• Painful blisters on the trunk of the body
• Pale skin
• Pounding in the ears
• Puffiness or swelling of the eyelids or around the eyes, face, lips, or tongue
• Redness of the face, neck, arms, and occasionally, upper chest
• Shortness of breath or troubled breathing
• Skin rash
• Slow or fast heartbeat
• Sneezing
• Sore throat
• Stuffy or runny nose
• Sudden sweating
• Tightness of the chest or wheezing
• Troubled breathing
• Ulcers, sores, or white spots in the mouth
• Unusual bleeding or bruising
• Unusual tiredness or weakness
• Weakness

• Bladder pain
• Blurred vision
• Burning feeling in the chest or stomach
• Confusion
• Dark urine
• Decrease in height
• Difficulty with moving
• Dizziness, faintness, or lightheadedness when getting up suddenly from a lying or sitting position
• Fast, irregular, pounding, or racing heartbeat or pulse
• Feeling hot
• Frequent urge to urinate
• General feeling of discomfort or illness
• Heartburn
• Indigestion
• Itching, pain, redness, swelling, tenderness, or warmth on the skin at the injection site
• Joint pain
• Light-colored stools
• Muscle aches and pains
• Muscle cramps or stiffness
• Pain in the back, ribs, arms, or legs
• Pain in the groin or genitals
• Pale skin
• Severe stomach pain
• Sharp back pain just below the ribs
• Shivering
• Stomach upset
• Sweating
• Swelling
• Swollen joints
• Swollen, painful, or tender lymph glands in the face, neck, armpit, or groin
• Tenderness in the stomach area
• Trouble with sleeping
• Troubled breathing with exertion
• Unexplained runny nose or sneezing
• Upper right abdominal or stomach pain
• Vomiting
• Yellow eyes and skin

• Acid or sour stomach
• Belching
• Changes in skin color
• Confusion
• Coughing or spitting up blood
• Fainting
• Gaseous abdominal or stomach pain
• Lightheadedness
• Neck pain
• Night sweats
• Noisy breathing
• Pain
• Pain, swelling, or redness in the joints
• Rapid, shallow breathing
• Recurrent fever
• Red, tender, or oozing skin at incision
• Stomach bloating, burning, cramping, or pain
• Sudden high fever or low-grade fever for months
• Swelling of the foot or leg
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Weight loss

• Dilated neck veins
• Extreme fatigue
• Severe abdominal or stomach pain, cramping, or burning
• Swelling of the face, fingers, feet, or lower legs
• Vomiting of material that looks like coffee grounds, severe and continuing
• Weight gain

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:

• Burning, dry, or itching eyes
• Constipation
• Discharge, excessive tearing
• Redness, pain, or swelling of the eye, eyelid, or inner lining of the eyelid
• Skin rash, encrusted, scaly and oozing
• Swelling or inflammation of the mouth
• Warmth on the skin

• Abnormal or decreased touch sensation
• Accumulation of pus
• Back pain
• Bleeding gums
• Blemishes on the skin
• Bloody eye
• Chapped, red, or swollen lips
• Earache
• Feeling of constant movement of self or surroundings
• Hives or welts
• Irritation in the mouth
• Loose teeth
• Persistent breath odor or bad taste in your mouth
• Pimples
• Redness and swelling of the gums
• Redness of the eye
• Redness of the skin
• Redness or swelling in the ear
• Scaling, redness, burning, pain, or other signs of inflammation of the lips
• Sensation of spinning
• Sleeplessness
• Sore mouth or tongue
• Sores on the skin
• Stomach soreness or discomfort
• Swollen, red, or tender area of infection
• Unable to sleep
• White patches in the mouth or on the tongue

• Bleeding after defecation
• Blindness
• Bloody nose
• Burning, numbness, tingling, or painful sensations
• Change in hearing
• Continuing ringing or buzzing or other unexplained noise in the ears
• Coughing or spitting up blood
• Decreased vision or other changes in vision
• Dry mouth
• Ear drainage
• Earache
• Flushed, dry skin
• Fruit-like breath odor
• Hearing loss
• Increased hunger
• Increased thirst
• Increased urination
• Itching ears
• Loss of consciousness
• Redness, swelling, or soreness of the tongue
• Thirst
• Uncomfortable swelling around the anus
• Unexplained weight loss
• Unsteadiness or awkwardness
• Weakness in the arms, hands, legs, or feet

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.

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