Pms-Etoposide

Generic Name: etoposide (Oral route, Intravenous route)

e-TOE-poe-side

Commonly used brand name(s):

In the U.S.

• Etopophos
• Vepesid

In Canada

• Dom-Etoposide
• Eposin
• Etoposide
• Pms-Etoposide

Available Dosage Forms:

• Capsule, Liquid Filled
• Solution
• Capsule
• Powder for Solution

Therapeutic Class: Antineoplastic Agent

Pharmacologic Class: Mitotic Inhibitor

Uses For Pms-Etoposide

Etoposide belongs to the group of medicines known as antineoplastic agents. It is used to treat cancer of the testicles and certain types of lung cancer. It is also sometimes used to treat some other kinds of cancer in both males and females.

The exact way that etoposide acts against cancer is not known. However, it seems to interfere with the growth of the cancer cells, which are eventually destroyed. Since the growth of normal body cells may also be affected by etoposide, other effects will also occur. Some of these may be serious and must be reported to your doctor. Other effects, like hair loss, may not be serious but may cause concern. Some effects may not occur until months or years after the medicine is used.

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

This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription.

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, etoposide is used in certain patients with the following medical conditions:

• Autoimmune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)—associated Kaposi's sarcoma (a type of cancer of the skin and mucous membranes that is more common in patients with AIDS)
• Cancer of the adrenal cortex (the outside layer of the adrenal gland)
• Cancers of the blood and lymph system
• Cancer in the bone
• Cancer of the endometrium
• Cancer of the lung (a certain type of lung cancer usually associated with prior smoking, passive smoking, or radon exposure)
• Cancer of the lymph system (a part of the body's immune system) that affects the skin
• Cancer of the stomach
• Cancers of the soft tissues of the body, including the muscles, connective tissues (tendons), vessels that carry blood or lymph, or fat
• Cancer of unknown primary site
• Ewing's sarcoma (a type of cancer found in the bone)
• Gestational trophoblastic tumors (tumors in the uterus or womb)
• Hepatoblastoma (a certain type of liver cancer that occurs in children)
• Multiple myeloma (a certain type of cancer of the blood)
• Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS)
• Neuroblastoma (a cancer of the nerves that usually occurs in children)
• Retinoblastoma (a cancer of the eye that usually occurs in children)
• Thymoma (a cancer of the thymus, which is a small organ that lies under the breastbone)
• Tumors in the brain
• Wilms' tumor (a cancer of the kidney that usually occurs in children)
• Cancer of the ovaries (a type of cancer found in the egg-making cells)

Before Using Pms-Etoposide

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 this medicine, the following should be considered:

Allergies

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine 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

Although this medicine has been used in children, there is no specific information comparing use of etoposide in children with use in other age groups. However, children who receive high doses may be more likely to have a serious allergic reaction to this medicine.

Geriatric

Many medicines have not been studied specifically 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 comparing use of etoposide in the elderly with use in other age groups.

Pregnancy

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

Using this medicine 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 this medicine 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.

• Aprepitant
• Bacillus of Calmette and Guerin Vaccine, Live
• Cyclosporine
• Fosaprepitant
• Glucosamine
• Influenza Virus Vaccine, Live
• Measles Virus Vaccine, Live
• Mumps Virus Vaccine, Live
• Poliovirus Vaccine, Live
• Rotavirus Vaccine, Live
• Rubella Virus Vaccine, Live
• Smallpox Vaccine
• St John's Wort
• Typhoid Vaccine
• Valspodar
• Varicella Virus Vaccine
• Warfarin
• Yellow Fever Vaccine

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.

Using this medicine with any of the following may cause an increased risk of certain side effects but may be unavoidable in some cases. If used together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use this medicine, or give you special instructions about the use of food, alcohol, or tobacco.

• Grapefruit Juice

Other Medical Problems

The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. 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

• Infection—Etoposide can decrease your body's ability to fight infection

• Kidney disease or
• Liver disease—Effects of etoposide may be increased because of slower removal from the body

Proper Use of etoposide

This section provides information on the proper use of a number of products that contain etoposide. It may not be specific to Pms-Etoposide. Please read with care.

Take etoposide only as directed by your doctor. Do not use more or less of it, and do not use it more often than your doctor ordered. The exact amount of medicine you need has been carefully worked out. Taking too much may increase the chance of side effects, while taking too little may not improve your condition.

Etoposide is sometimes given together with certain other medicines. If you are using a combination of medicines, make sure that you take each one at the proper time and do not mix them. If you are taking some of these medicines by mouth, ask your health care professional to help you plan a way to remember to take your medicines at the right times.

Etoposide often causes nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite, which may be severe. 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.

If you vomit shortly after taking a dose of etoposide, check with your doctor. You will be told whether to take the dose again or to wait until the next dose.

Dosing

The dose of this medicine 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 this medicine. 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.

Missed Dose

If you miss a dose of this medicine, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses.

Storage

Store in the refrigerator. Do not freeze.

Keep out of the reach of children.

Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed.

Precautions While Using Pms-Etoposide

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

While you are being treated with etoposide, and after you stop treatment with it, do not have any immunizations (vaccinations) without your doctor's approval. Etoposide 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 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 last 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.

Etoposide can temporarily lower the number of white blood cells in your blood, increasing the chance of your 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 have 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.

Pms-Etoposide 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 immediately if any of the following side effects occur:

• Fast heartbeat
• loss of consciousness
• shortness of breath
• sweating
• swelling of face or tongue
• tightness in throat
• wheezing

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

• Unusual tiredness or weakness

• Black, tarry stools
• blood in urine or stools
• 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
• pinpoint red spots on skin
• sores in mouth or on lips
• unusual bleeding or bruising

• Back pain
• difficulty in walking
• numbness or tingling in fingers and toes
• pain at place of injection
• skin rash or itching
• 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:

• Loss of appetite
• nausea and vomiting

• Diarrhea

This medicine often causes a temporary loss of hair. After treatment with etoposide has ended, 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.

The information contained in the Thomson Healthcare (Micromedex) products as delivered by Drugs.com is intended as an educational aid only. It is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatment. It is not a substitute for a medical exam, nor does it replace the need for services provided by medical professionals. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before taking any prescription or over the counter drugs (including any herbal medicines or supplements) or following any treatment or regimen. Only your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist can provide you with advice on what is safe and effective for you.

The use of the Thomson Healthcare products is at your sole risk. These products are provided "AS IS" and "as available" for use, without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. Thomson Healthcare and Drugs.com make no representation or warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, usefulness or completeness of any of the information contained in the products. Additionally, THOMSON HEALTHCARE MAKES NO REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTIES AS TO THE OPINIONS OR OTHER SERVICE OR DATA YOU MAY ACCESS, DOWNLOAD OR USE AS A RESULT OF USE OF THE THOMSON HEALTHCARE PRODUCTS. ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE ARE HEREBY EXCLUDED. Thomson Healthcare does not assume any responsibility or risk for your use of the Thomson Healthcare products.