Active ingredient
- mercaptopurine
Legal Category
POM: Prescription only medicine
POM: Prescription only medicine
The Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) is the leaflet included in the pack with a medicine. It is written for patients and gives information about taking or using a medicine. It is possible that the leaflet in your medicine pack may differ from this version because it may have been updated since your medicine was packaged.
Below is a text only representation of the Patient Information Leaflet. The original leaflet can be viewed using the link above.
The text only version may be available in large print, Braille or audio CD. For further information call emc accessibility on 0800 198 5000. The product code(s) for this leaflet is: PL39699/0047.
Mercaptopurine 50 mg tablets
Package Leaflet: Information for the User
Mercaptopurine 50mg tablets
6-mercaptopurine
Read all of this leaflet carefully before you start taking this medicine because it contains important information for you.
What is in this leaflet:
1 What Mercaptopurine is and what it is used for
2 What you need to know before you take Mercaptopurine
3 How to take Mercaptopurine
4 Possible side effects
5 How to store Mercaptopurine
6 Contents of the pack and other information
1 What Mercaptopurine is and what it is used for
Mercaptopurine tablets contain the active substance called 6-mercaptopurine. 6-mercaptopurine belongs to a group of medicines called cytotoxics (also called chemotherapy) and works by reducing the number of new blood cells your body makes.
Mercaptopurine is used to treat cancer of the blood (leukaemia) in adults, adolescents and children.
2 What you need to know before you take Mercaptopurine
Do not take Mercaptopurine:
If you are allergic to 6-mercaptopurine or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).
Warnings and precautions
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Mercaptopurine:
If you are receiving immunosuppressive therapy, taking Mercaptopurine could put you at greater risk of:
Taking Mercaptopurine could put you at greater risk of:
Infections
When you are treated with Mercaptopurine the risk of viral, fungal and bacterial infections is increased and the infections may be more serious. See also section 4.
Tell your doctor before starting treatment whether or not you have had chickenpox, shingles or hepatitis B (a liver disease caused by a virus).
Blood tests
Other laboratory tests
Liver function
Children and adolescents
Low blood sugar levels (sweating more than usual, nausea, dizziness, confusion, etc.) have been reported in some children receiving Mercaptopurine; however, most of the children were under the age of six years old and had a low body weight.
If you are not sure if any of the above applies to you, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Mercaptopurine.
Other medicines and Mercaptopurine
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines.
In particular, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any of the following:
Having vaccines while you are taking Mercaptopurine
If you are going to have a vaccination speak to your doctor or nurse before you have it. If you take Mercaptopurine, you should not have a live vaccine (for example; flu vaccine, measles vaccine, BCG vaccine, etc.) until advised it is safe to do so by your doctor. This is because some vaccines may give you an infection if you have them whilst you are taking Mercaptopurine.
Mercaptopurine with food and drink
You can take Mercaptopurine with food or on an empty stomach but the choice of method should be consistent from day to day. You should take your medicine at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after having milk or dairy products.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor for advice before taking this medicine.
Pregnancy
Treatment with Mercaptopurine is not recommended during pregnancy, particularly in the first trimester (three months) because it may cause damage to the foetus. If you are pregnant your doctor will consider the risks and benefits to you and your baby before prescribing Mercaptopurine for you.
If you or your partner are taking Mercaptopurine, you must use a reliable form of contraception to avoid pregnancy for the whole course of Mercaptopurine treatment and for at least 3 months after receiving the last dose of Mercaptopurine. This applies to both men and women.
Breast-feeding
It is recommended that you do not breast-feed when you are taking Mercaptopurine.
Driving and using machines
It is not expected that Mercaptopurine will affect your ability to drive or use machines, but no studies have been done to confirm this.
Mercaptopurine tablets contain lactose
If you have been told by your doctor that you have an intolerance to some sugars, contact your doctor before you take Mercaptopurine tablets.
3 How to take Mercaptopurine
Mercaptopurine should only be prescribed to you by a specialist doctor who is experienced in treating cancers of the blood.
Always take Mercaptopurine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure. It is important to take your medicine at the right times. The label on your pack will tell you how many tablets to take and how often to take them. If the label does not say or if you are not sure, ask your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
The usual dose for adults and children is 2.5 mg per kilogram of your body weight each day (or alternatively 50 to 75 mg per m2 of your body surface area each day). Your doctor will calculate and adjust your dose based on your body weight, results of your blood tests, whether or not you are taking other chemotherapy medicines and your kidney and liver function.
You can take your medicine with food or on an empty stomach but the choice of method should be consistent from day to day. You should take your medicine at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after having milk or dairy products.
If you take more Mercaptopurine than you should
If you take more Mercaptopurine than you should, tell your doctor immediately or go to a hospital straight away. Take the medicine pack with you.
If you forget to take Mercaptopurine
Tell your doctor. Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose.
If you stop taking Mercaptopurine
If you stop taking Mercaptopurine, tell your doctor immediately.
If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
4 Possible side effects
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
If you get any of the following side effects, talk to your specialist doctor or go to hospital immediately:
Talk to your doctor if you have any of the following side effects, which may also happen with this medicine:
Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people)
Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people)
Rare (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people)
Very rare (may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people)
Not known (frequency cannot be estimated from the available data)
Additional side effects in children
Low blood sugar levels (sweating more than usual, nausea, dizziness, confusion, etc.) have been reported in some children receiving Mercaptopurine; however, most of the children were under the age of six years old and had a low body weight.
Reporting of side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard
By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
5 How to store Mercaptopurine
6 Contents of the pack and other information
What Mercaptopurine contains
The active substance is 6-mercaptopurine. Each tablet contains 50mg of 6-mercaptopurine. The other ingredients are lactose, maize starch, modified maize starch, stearic acid and magnesium stearate.
What Mercaptopurine looks like and contents of the pack
Mercaptopurine tablets are a pale yellow colour and are marked with ‘PT / 50’. Your Mercaptopurine tablets are in bottles of 25 tablets.
Marketing Authorisation Holder and Manufacturer
Marketing Authorisation holder:
Manufacturer:
Other sources of information:
To listen to or request a copy of this leaflet in Braille, large print or audio please call, free of charge:
0800 198 5000 (UK only)
Please be ready to give the following information:
Product name Mercaptopurine 50mg Tablets
Reference number: PL 39699/ 0047
This is a service provided by the Royal National Institute of Blind People.
This leaflet was last revised in August 2019
Detailed information on this medicine is available on the European Medicines Agency website: http://www.ema.europa.eu
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