INFORMATION FOR CONSUMERS
Home | Consumers | Health Professionals | Regulatory | Other | Hot Topics | Search
Home | Consumers | Health Professionals | Regulatory | Other | Hot Topics | Search
Please read this leaflet carefully before you start taking LEUKERAN tablets.
This leaflet answers some common questions about LEUKERAN tablets. It does not contain all the available information.
It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.
All medicines have risks and benefits. Your doctor has weighed the expected benefits of you taking LEUKERAN against the risks this medicine could have for you.
If you have any concerns about taking this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Keep this leaflet with your medicine. You may need to read it again.
LEUKERAN contains the active ingredient chlorambucil.
LEUKERAN is used to treat Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, Waldenstrom's macroglobulinaemia, advanced ovarian cancer, and advanced breast cancer. These are all types of cancer which happen when abnormal cells are formed and multiply uncontrollably, crowding out and interfering with the vital functions of normal healthy cells.
Your doctor may have prescribed LEUKERAN for another purpose.
LEUKERAN belongs to a group of medicines called anti-neoplastic agents. Within this group, LEUKERAN belongs to a class of medicines called alkylating agents.
LEUKERAN works by stopping the growth of cancer cells.
Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why LEUKERAN has been prescribed for you.
LEUKERAN is available only with a doctor's prescription.
LEUKERAN is sometimes used to treat children with Hodgkin's disease or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Your doctor must know about all of the following before you start taking LEUKERAN:
If you have not told your doctor about any of the above, please do so before taking LEUKERAN.
Some medicines may affect the way others work.
Tell your doctor if you are taking any other medicines, including the oral contraceptive pill or medicines you buy without a prescription from a pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop.
Your doctor will be able to tell you more about what to do when taking LEUKERAN with other medicines.
Depending on the type of cancer you have, your doctor may prescribe LEUKERAN in combination with other medicines used to treat cancer.
Take LEUKERAN exactly as your doctor has prescribed.
Your doctor will tell you how many LEUKERAN tablets to take each day.
Your doctor will calculate the dose based on your weight. If you have liver problems, your doctor may decide to reduce your LEUKERAN dose.
Never take more tablets than your doctor has prescribed.
Your doctor may want you to take a combination of 2mg (WELLCOME C2A engraved on one side) and 5mg (WELLCOME H2A engraved on one side) LEUKERAN tablets for each dose.
If a combination of tablets has been prescribed, it is very important that you correctly identify the tablets.
Your doctor may vary your dose depending on your type of cancer and your response to LEUKERAN.
The doses used in children are similar to those used in adults.
Swallow tablets whole with a glass of water.
Do not swallow broken tablets.
Do not crush or divide the tablets.
Continue taking LEUKERAN until your doctor tells you to stop. On average, LEUKERAN is taken for about 4 to 8 weeks, depending on the type of cancer you have.
Your doctor may do some blood tests to check that your kidneys are working properly and that your blood counts are normal.
Do not take an extra dose. Wait until the next dose and take your normal dose then.
Do not try to make up for the dose that you missed by taking more than one dose at a time.
If you are not sure what to do, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Immediately telephone your doctor or the National Poisons Information Centre (0800 POISON or 0800 764 766) for advice, or go to Accident and Emergency at your nearest hospital, if you think that you or anyone else has taken too much LEUKERAN. Do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning.
You may need urgent medical attention.
Keep phone numbers for these places handy.
If you take too many LEUKERAN tablets, you could become agitated, have convulsions, and/or become unsteady while walking.
If you are not sure what to do, contact your doctor or pharmacist.
Tell all doctors, dentists and pharmacists treating you that you are taking LEUKERAN.
Tell your doctor if you become pregnant while taking LEUKERAN.
Tell your doctor if, for any reason, you have not taken LEUKERAN exactly as prescribed. Otherwise, your doctor may think it is not working for you and change your medicine unnecessarily.
Tell your doctor if you feel that the tablets are not helping your condition.
As with all medicines used to treat cancer, you should use reliable contraception when taking LEUKERAN, whether you are male or female.
Be sure to keep all your appointments with your doctor so that your progress can be checked.
Do not stop taking LEUKERAN or change the dose without first checking with your doctor.
Do not let yourself run out of medicine over the weekend or on holidays.
Do not give LEUKERAN to anyone else even if they have the same condition as you.
Do not take any other medicines whether they require a prescription or not without first asking your doctor or a pharmacist.
Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how LEUKERAN affects you.
All medicines can have unwanted side effects. Sometimes they may be serious, but often they are not. You may need medical treatment if you get some of the side effects.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist to answer any questions you may have.
Be sure that your doctor or pharmacist knows as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are taking LEUKERAN.
Your doctor can prescribe helpful medication if you develop any of the above side effects.
Your doctor may also recommend that you change your dose of LEUKERAN if you experience any of these side effects.
In women, LEUKERAN may cause the menstrual cycle (periods) to change. Tell your doctor if you notice anything different about your periods.
LEUKERAN may affect both male and female fertility. Your doctor will probably discuss this with you.
This is not a complete list of all possible side effects.
Tell your doctor if you notice anything else that is making you feel unwell, even if it is not on this list.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you do not understand anything on this list.
Do not be alarmed by the above list of possible side effects. Many of them are uncommon. You might not experience any of them.
Keep your tablets in the bottle until it is time to take them.
If you take the tablets out of the bottle they may not keep well.
Keep LEUKERAN in a cool dry place where the temperature stays between 2°C and 8°C.
Do not store it, or take any other medicine, in a bathroom or near a sink.
Do not leave it in a car or on window sills.
Heat and dampness can destroy some medicines.
Keep LEUKERAN where young children cannot reach it.
A locked cupboard at least one and a half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines.
If your doctor tells you to stop taking LEUKERAN, or the medicine has passed its expiry date, ask your pharmacist what to do with any tablets that are left over.
Chlorambucil, Lactose, Sucrose, Pregelatinised magnesium stearate, Quinoline Yellow E104/D&C Yellow No.10
Your doctor is the best person to give you advice on the treatment of your illness. You may also be able to find general information about your illness and its treatment from other sources, for example, from books in public libraries and on the Internet.
GlaxoSmithKline NZ Ltd
Quay Tower
Cnr Albert & Customs Sts
Private Bag 106600
Downtown, Auckland
NEW ZEALAND
Ph (09) 367-2900
Fax (09) 367-2910
This leaflet was prepared in November 2004, Issue 3. It is copyrighted to GlaxoSmithKline (New Zealand) Ltd and may be reproduced but not altered in any way.
LEUKERAN is a trademark of the GlaxoSmithKline Group of Companies.