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 PURI-NETHOL tablets.
This leaflet answers some common questions about PURI-NETHOL 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 PURI-NETHOL 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.
PURI-NETHOL contains the active ingredient mercaptopurine.
PURI-NETHOL is used to treat acute myelogenous leukaemia and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. It can also be used to treat chronic granulocytic leukaemia. These are different types of cancer affecting the blood. In people with blood cancer, abnormal blood cells are formed in the bone marrow which multiply uncontrollably, crowding out and interfering with the vital functions of normal healthy blood cells.
Your doctor may have prescribed PURI-NETHOL for another purpose.
PURI-NETHOL belongs to a group of medicines called anti-neoplastic agents. Within this group, PURI-NETHOL belongs to a class of medicines called purine antimetabolites. These medicines are used to treat blood cancers.
PURI-NETHOL is often given in combination with other medicines used to treat cancer of the blood.
PURI-NETHOL works by interfering with the function of the bone marrow and reducing the number of abnormal blood cells which are causing your illness.
Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why PURI-NETHOL has been prescribed for you.
PURI-NETHOL is available only with a doctor's prescription.
PURI-NETHOL is used in children, at doses similar to those used in adults.
PURI-NETHOL can also be used in elderly people at the same doses as used in younger adults, unless they have kidney or liver disease.
If you have not told your doctor about any of the above, please do so before taking PURI-NETHOL.
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.
If you are taking any of the following medicines, please tell your doctor before taking PURI-NETHOL:
Your doctor will be able to tell you more about what to do when taking PURI-NETHOL with other medicines.
PURI-NETHOL is often used in combination with other medicines used to treat cancer.
Take PURI-NETHOL exactly as your doctor has prescribed.
Your doctor will tell you how many PURI-NETHOL tablets to take each day.
Your doctor will calculate the dose based on either your body weight or your body surface area (the area of skin you have). If you have liver or kidney problems, your doctor may decide to reduce your PURI-NETHOL dose.
In adults and children the usual dose is 2.5mg per kilogram of body weight per day, or 50mg to 75mg per square metre of body surface area daily.
Your doctor will calculate your PURI-NETHOL dose for you. Your doctor may adjust the dose depending to the type of blood cancer you have, your response to treatment and other medicines being used to treat your illness.
Never take more tablets than your doctor has prescribed.
Your doctor may do regular blood and urine tests to make sure that PURI-NETHOL is working for you.
Swallow tablets whole with a glass of water.
If you need to take half a tablet, you should protect your hands. Do not breathe in any powder from halved tablets.
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 PURI-NETHOL. 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.
An overdose of PURI-NETHOL can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and loss of appetite. It could have serious effects on your bone marrow, blood cells and the way your liver functions.
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 PURI-NETHOL.
Tell your doctor if you become pregnant while taking PURI-NETHOL.
As with many medicines used to treat cancer, you should use reliable contraception when taking PURI-NETHOL, whether you are male or female.
Tell your doctor if, for any reason, you have not taken PURI-NETHOL 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 PURI-NETHOL is not helping your condition.
Do not stop taking PURI-NETHOL 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 PURI-NETHOL 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 vehicle or operate machinery until you know how PURI-NETHOL 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 PURI-NETHOL.
If you think PURI-NETHOL is causing you to have an allergic (hypersensitivity) reaction, TELL YOUR DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY. Symptoms include:
Tell your doctor if you notice any of the following:
Your doctor can prescribe helpful medication if you develop any of the above side effects.
PURI-NETHOL can also have side effects which affect your kidney and liver function, bone marrow and blood count. This may make you feel tired and weak. It will also affect how well your blood clots. Your doctor will do regular blood and urine tests to check for these problems.
Your doctor may also recommend that you change your dose of PURI-NETHOL if you experience any of these side effects.
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 PURI-NETHOL in a cool dry place where the temperature stays below 25°C.
Keep PURI-NETHOL away from light.
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 windowsills.
Heat and dampness can destroy some medicines.
Keep PURI-NETHOL 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 PURI-NETHOL, or the medicine has passed its expiry date, ask your pharmacist what to do with any tablets that are left over.
PURI-NETHOL tablets are pale yellow. They are engraved with WELLCOME O4A and a straight groove on one side and are unmarked on the other.
Mercaptopurine, Lactose, Hydrolysed starch, Maize, Stearic acid, Magnesium stearate
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, books in public libraries and on the Internet.
PURI-NETHOL is supplied by:
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 is copyrighted to GlaxoSmithKline (New Zealand) Ltd and may be reproduced but not altered in any way.
PURI-NETHOL is a trademark of the GlaxoSmithKline Group of Companies.
Issue 2, January 2005