Fludarabine phosphate 10mg tablets

Fludarabine phosphate is used to treat certain types of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

Your medical team will discuss with you the options for treating your cancer. They will take into account factors such as the type of cancer, where it is, which stage it is at and whether you have had treatment before. The results of blood tests and other investigations will also be considered. How well you feel and how you are likely to cope with treatment is also important.

Your cancer treatment will usually consist of a treatment session with Fludarabine phosphate followed by a break of a number of days before the next treatment session with Fludarabine phosphate. This cycle may be repeated many times as part of your cancer treatment.

Fludarabine phosphate works by damaging cancer cells in the body. Fludarabine phosphate also affects healthy cells and treatment with Fludarabine phosphate may damage your immune system. Your medical team may arrange for you to have some blood tests to check how well your immune system is working.

Fludarabine phosphate is usually given to you by a healthcare professional. The person responsible for giving you your medicine will make sure that you get the right dose.

If you feel that the medicine is making you unwell or you do not think it is working, then talk to your prescriber or someone involved in your medical care.

Some medicines work best if they are taken at a specific time of day. Getting the most from your medicine can also be affected by what you eat, when you eat and the times at which you take other medicines. Make sure you follow any specific instructions given to you by your prescriber or that are in the Patient Information Leaflet that comes with this medicine.

Some medicines have specific instructions about how to take them. This is because they work better when taken correctly. These instructions can include getting the right dose and special instructions for preparing the medicine. Make sure you follow any specific instructions given to you by your prescriber or that are in the Patient Information Leaflet that comes with this medicine.

Taking extra doses of some medicines can be harmful. In some cases even one extra dose can cause you problems. If you take extra doses of your medicine, you must get medical advice immediately. You may need a test to assess the effect of taking extra doses. This is because the effects of taking too much medicine are very complex so it is very important that you seek medical advice.

Contact your prescriber, pharmacist, specialist clinic or NHS Direct on 0845 46 47 for advice.

Make sure you take all of your medicine containers with you if you are advised to go to hospital.

The person in charge of your care will make the decision about when you should stop this medicine. If you experience any problems while taking this medicine, talk to someone who is involved in your medical care.

The instructions on how you should keep your medicine are on the pharmacy label. It is a good idea to keep your medicine in the original container. This will help to keep your medicine in the best condition and also allow you to check the instructions. Do not take the medicine if the packaging appears to have been tampered with or if the medicine shows any signs of damage. Make sure that the medicine is out of the sight and reach of children.

Specific information on how to look after Fludarabine phosphate can be found in the Patient Information Leaflet that comes with this medicine or on the medicine label. Alternatively, you can request information about how to look after your medicine from your doctor or pharmacist.

You must not take the medicine after the expiry date shown on the packaging. If you have any unused medicine, return it to your pharmacist who will dispose of it safely.

Fludarabine phosphate is not suitable for everyone and some people should never use it. Other people should only use it with special care. It is important that the person prescribing this medicine knows your full medical history.

Your prescriber may only prescribe this medicine with special care or may not prescribe it at all if you:

Furthermore the prescriber may only prescribe this medicine with special care or may not prescribe it at all for a child.

As part of the process of assessing suitability to take this medicine a prescriber may also arrange tests:

Over time it is possible that Fludarabine phosphate can become unsuitable for some people, or they may become unsuitable for it. If at any time it appears that Fludarabine phosphate has become unsuitable, it is important that the prescriber is contacted immediately.

A medicine is only made available to the public if the clinical trials have shown that the benefits of taking the medicine outweigh the risks.

Once a medicine has been licensed, information on the medicine's effects, both intended and unintended, is continuously recorded and updated.

Some side-effects may be serious while others may only be a mild inconvenience.

Everyone's reaction to a medicine is different. It is difficult to predict which side-effects you will have from taking a particular medicine, or whether you will have any side-effects at all. The important thing is to tell your prescriber or pharmacist if you are having problems with your medicine.

Very common: More than 1 in 10 people who take Fludarabine phosphate:

• blood and bone marrow problems - these may be fatal
• cough
• diarrhoea
• fever
• infections
• nausea
• tiredness
• vomiting
• weakness

Common: More than 1 in 100 people who take Fludarabine phosphate:

• chills
• eye or eyesight problems
• general feeling of being unwell
• inflammation of the mouth
• loss of appetite
• mucous membrane problems
• neuropathy of the extremities
• oedema
• skin rash or rashes

Uncommon: More than 1 in 1000 people who take Fludarabine phosphate:

• abnormal laboratory test results
• autoimmune problems - some autoimmune problems may be fatal. You must seek medical advice if you develop signs and symptoms such as anaemia, Evan's syndrome, thrombocytopenia, unexplained or easy bruising of the skin or mucous membrane, bleeding, pemphigus
• confusion
• gastrointestinal bleeding
• lung problems including breathing difficulties
• tumour lysis syndrome - symptoms of tumour lysis syndrome may include flank pain, blood in the urine, kidney problems or certain types of metabolic problems

Rare: More than 1 in 10,000 people who take Fludarabine phosphate:

• blindness
• coma
• feeling agitated
• heart or circulation problems
• seizures
• skin cancer or worsening of existing skin cancer lesions
• Stevens-Johnson syndrome
• toxic epidermal necrolysis

The frequency of these side-effects is unknown:

• bleeding from the brain or lungs
• brain or central nervous system problems
• cystitis with bleeding
• graft versus host disease - this may be fatal

If you feel unwell or if you have concerns about a side-effect, you will need to seek advice. If you feel very ill, get medical help straight away. Contact your prescriber, pharmacist, nurse or call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.

If you are taking more than one medicine they may interact with each other. At times your prescriber may decide to use medicines that interact, in other cases this may not be appropriate.

The decision to use medicines that interact depends on your specific circumstances. Your prescriber may decide to use medicines that interact, if it is believed that the benefits of taking the medicines together outweigh the risks. In such cases, it may be necessary to alter your dose or monitor you more closely.

Tell your prescriber the names of all the medicines that you are taking so that they can consider all possible interactions. This includes all the medicines which have been prescribed by your GP, hospital doctor, dentist, nurse, health visitor, midwife or pharmacist. You must also tell your prescriber about medicines which you have bought over the counter without prescriptions.

The following medicines may interact with Fludarabine phosphate:

The following types of medicine may interact with Fludarabine phosphate:

If you are taking Fludarabine phosphate and one of the above medicines or types of medicines, make sure your prescriber knows about it.

Medicines can interact with complementary preparations and vitamins. In general, there is not much information available about interactions between medicines and complementary preparations or vitamins.

If you are planning to take or are already taking any complementary preparations and vitamins you should ask your prescriber whether there are any known interactions with Fludarabine phosphate.

Your prescriber can advise whether it is appropriate for you to take combinations that are known to interact. They can also discuss with you the possible effect that the complementary preparations and vitamins may have on your condition.

If you experience any unusual effects while taking this medicine in combination with complementary preparations and vitamins, you should tell your prescriber.

When taking any medicine you should be aware that it might interfere with your ability to drive or operate machinery safely.

In the case of Fludarabine phosphate:

You should see how this medicine affects you before you judge whether you are safe to drive or operate machinery. If you are in any doubt about whether you should drive or operate machinery, talk to your prescriber.

Medicines can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your prescriber may advise you to avoid certain foods.

In the case of Fludarabine phosphate:

Alcohol can interact with certain medicines.

In the case of Fludarabine phosphate:

Most medicines, in some way, can affect the development of a baby in the womb. The effect on the baby differs between medicines and also depends on the stage of pregnancy that you have reached when you take the medicine.

In the case of Fludarabine phosphate:

This medicine is not suitable during pregnancy. It is very important that you seek urgent medical advice if you become pregnant or think you have become pregnant while taking this medicine.

If you are planning to become pregnant, you should discuss your personal circumstances with your doctor so that together you can make a decision about what treatment you may need during your pregnancy.

Certain medicines can pass into breast milk and may reach your baby through breast-feeding.

In the case of Fludarabine phosphate:

Before you have your baby you should discuss breast-feeding with your doctor or midwife. They will help you decide what is best for you and your baby based on the benefits and risks associated with this medicine. If you wish to breast-feed you should discuss with your prescriber whether there are any other medicines you could take which would also allow you to breast-feed. You should not stop this medicine without taking advice from your doctor.

Medicines contain active ingredients. They may also contain other, additional ingredients that help ensure the stability, safety and effectiveness of the medicine. They are also added to improve the medicine's taste and appearance and to make it easier to take. Some may be used to prolong the life of the medicine.

This medicine contains fludarabine phosphate.

We are unable to list all of the ingredients for your medicine here. For a full list, you should refer to the patient information leaflet that comes with this medicine. You should check that you are able to take the ingredients of your medicine, especially if you have any allergies. You should also check whether any of these ingredients are known to have side-effects.

If you are not able to take any of the ingredients in your medicine, talk to your prescriber or pharmacist to see if they can suggest an alternative medicine. If you have reacted badly to Fludarabine phosphate before, do not take Fludarabine phosphate. Talk to your prescriber, pharmacist or nurse as soon as possible.