 by a healthcare provider.Common side effects of vinblastine include hairloss, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. "Pin It")
Vinblastine Sulfate OverviewFollow Medication
Vinblastine Sulfate is a prescription medication used to treat a variety of cancers including Hodgkin's disease, lymphoma, breast cancer, testicular cancer, and a certain type of uterine cancer. Vinblastine belongs to a group of drugs called vinca alkaloids which work by slowing the growth and replication of cancer cells.
This medication comes in an injectable form to be given directly into a vein (IV) by a healthcare provider.
Common side effects of vinblastine include hairloss, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Uses of Vinblastine Sulfate
Vinblastine is a prescription medicine used to treat:
- Hodgkin’s disease
- certain types of lymphoma
- Mycosis fungoides
- testicular cancer
- Kaposi’s sarcoma
- Letterer-Siwe disease
- Choriocarcinoma (a type of uterine cancer)
- breast cancer
This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for information.
Side Effects of Vinblastine Sulfate
Vinblastine affects cells that are in the process of growing and dividing. Cancer cells grow and divide faster than other cells in the body, but unfortunately the normal cells in the body that grow and divide on a regular basis are affected as well, which causes the seemingly familiar chemotherapeutic side effects of hair loss (hair follicle cells), nausea and vomiting, and diarrhea. Patients may also experience constipation, cramping, weight loss, changes in taste and appetite, mouth sores, and anemia. Peripheral neuropathy, as mentioned above, is uncommon but very serious, with patients starting out feeling decreased sensation and numbness in the hands and feet, but may progress to difficulty walking.
Some people may also experience headaches, depression, and pain in the joints and muscles.
Many people receiving treatment with vinblastine will become anemic, and have low counts of both their red and white blood cells. This will put them at risk for infection.
The side effects listed below are serious and need to be told to your doctor about within 24 hours of noticing them: vomiting more than four to five times in a day, diarrhea more than four to five times in a day, constipation, strange bleeding or bruising, bone pain, severe abdominal pain, sores on the lips or mouth, blood in the urine or stool (this can look like black or tarry stools)
Vinblastine Sulfate Interactions
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take aspirin, intraconazole, phenytoin and vitamins.
Vinblastine Sulfate Precautions
Always tell your doctor what other prescription medications, nonprescription medications, vitamins, or nutritional supplements you are currently taking or plan to start taking during the course of a new medication. Do not take aspirin or aspirin-containing products unless your doctor tells you it is okay.
It is extremely important that the intravenous needle delivering vinblastine be properly positioned in the vein. If it is not, the drug can cause serious blistering and damage to the surrounding tissue. If you notice irritation, swelling, or redness at the IV site, notify your doctor or nurse immediately.
People who have to get repeated doses of vinblastine may feel symptoms of peripheral neuropathy (tingling sensation and numbness in the fingers and toes), this needs to be reported to your doctor immediately.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or planning on becoming before starting vinblastine. It can cause birth defects for the baby if you are already pregnant. Both men and women should not plan on conceiving a child while on vinblastine. Your doctor can tell you when it will be safe to do so after treatment.
Do not breast feed a child while on vinblastine.
Do not get any immunizations or vaccinations while being treated with vinblastine unless your doctor says it is okay.
Vinblastine Sulfate Food Interactions
Medicines can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of vinblastine there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving vinblastine.
Inform MD
Tell your doctor if you are allergic to vinblastin or any other medicine.
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take aspirin, intraconazole, phenytoin and vitamins.
Tell your doctor if you have liver disease.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Vinblastine Sulfate and Pregnancy
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Vinblastine should be given to a pregnant woman only if clearly needed. Vinblastine may harm your unborn baby.
Vinblastine Sulfate and Lactation
Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if vinblastine is excreted in human breast milk or if it will harm your nursing baby.
Vinblastine Sulfate Usage
Vinblastine is given in the form of an injection. In most cases your doctor will give you the injection in his or her office. Your doctor will choose your particular dosage based on your condition.
In some cases, your doctor may have you give yourself the medication at home. In this case, it is crucial that you understand how to give an injection and you are comfortable with this procedure.
Vinblastine Sulfate Dosage
Adult patients
It is wise to initiate therapy for adults by administering a single intravenous dose of 3.7 mg/m2 of body surface area (bsa). Thereafter, white-blood-cell counts should be made to determine the patient’s sensitivity to vinblastine sulfate.
A simplified and conservative incremental approach to dosage at weekly intervals for adults may be outlined as follows:
First dose...........................3.7 mg/m2 bsa
Second dose......................5.5 mg/m2 bsa
Third dose..........................7.4 mg/m2 bsa
Fourth dose........................9.25 mg/m2 bsa
Fifth dose...........................11.1 mg/m2 bsa
The above-mentioned increases may be used until a maximum dose not exceeding 18.5 mg/m2 bsa for adults is reached. The dose should not be increased after that dose which reduces the white-cell count to approximately 3000 cells/mm3. In some adults, 3.7 mg/m2 bsa may produce this leukopenia; other adults may require more than 11.1 mg/m2 bsa; and, very rarely, as much as 18.5 mg/m2 bsa may be necessary. For most adult patients, however, the weekly dosage will prove to be 5.5 to 7.4 mg/m2 bsa.
When the dose of vinblastine sulfate which will produce the above degree of leukopenia has been established, a dose of 1 increment smaller than this should be administered at weekly intervals for maintenance. Thus, the patient is receiving the maximum dose that does not cause leukopenia. It should be emphasized that, even though 7 days have elapsed, the next dose of vinblastine sulfate should not be given until the white-cell count has returned to at least 4000/mm3. In some cases, oncolytic activity may be encountered before leukopenic effect. When this occurs, there is no need to increase the size of the subsequent doses.
Pediatric Patients
A review of published literature from 1993 to 1995 showed that initial doses of vinblastine sulfate in pediatric patients varied depending on the schedule used and whether vinblastine sulfate was administered as a single agent or incorporated within a particular chemotherapeutic regimen. As a single agent for Letterer-Siwe disease (histiocytosis X), the initial dose of vinblastine sulfate was reported as 6.5 mg/m2. When vinblastine sulfate was used in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of Hodgkin’s disease, the initial dose was reported as
6 mg/m2. For testicular germ cell carcinomas, the initial dose of vinblastine sulfate was reported as 3 mg/m2 in a combination regimen. Dose modifications should be guided by hematologic tolerance.
Vinblastine Sulfate Overdose
Vinblastine is usually administered by a healthcare provider in a medical setting making it unlikely for an overdose to occur. However, if overdose is suspected, seek emergency medical attention.
Forms of Vinblastine Sulfate
Active Ingredient: Vinblastine Sulfate
Inactive Ingredient: Sodium Chloride
Other Requirements
People on vinblastine should try to drink lots of water, unless they are told not to, to help prevent constipation and dehydration
Good diet and nutrition will be helpful, as well as eating foods that will help reduce the effects of diarrhea.
People on vinblastine may be at risk of infections, so avoiding crowds or other people with contagious illnesses may help. Always maintain good hygiene and wash hands often.
Vinblastine Sulfate FDA Warning
Vinblastine injection should be administered by individuals experienced in the administration of vinblastine sulfate.
Caution – It is extremely important that the intravenous needle of catheter be properly positioned before any vinblastine is injected. Leakeage into surrounding tissue during intravenous administration of vinblastine may cause considerable irritation. If extravasation occurs, the injection should be discontinued immediately, and any remaining portion of the dose should then be introduced into another vein. Local injection of hyaluronidase and the application of moderate heat to the area of leakage help disperse the drug and are thought to minimize discomfort and the possibility of cellulites.
FATAL IF GIVEN INTRATHECALLY. FOR INTRAVENOUS USE ONLY.
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