Where is Idarubicin used?
Idarubicin is a medication used in people with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). It is a type of cancer of white blood cells. This prescription is used along with other medications for the treatment of AML. Idarubicin is in the family of drugs known as anthracyclines that slow or stops the growth of the cells that causes cancer in your body. The Food and Drug Administration has approved this prescription for medical use.
How does Idarubicin work?
Chemotherapy medications that affect cells only while they are separating are termed cell-cycle specific. It affects cells once they are not working are termed cell-cycle non-specific. The development of chemotherapy is set depending on the type of cells, the proportion at which they split, and the time at which a given medicine is likely to be effective. This is why chemotherapy is usually given in cycles.
Chemotherapy is most effective at killing cells that are dividing rapidly. However, this type of therapy does not know the difference between normal cells and cancerous cells. In the meantime, the normal cells will grow back and be healthy but side effects will occur. The most commonly affected are the blood cells, the cells in the stomach, mouth, and hair follicles. It results in nausea, low blood counts, diarrhea, mouth sores, and hair loss. Different drugs may affect different parts of the body.
Idarubicin is categorized as an antitumor antibiotic. This type of medicine is made from natural products made by species of the soil fungus Streptomyces. This medicine act during multiple phases of the cell cycle and is considered cell-cycle specific. Idarubicin belongs to the anthracyclines category of antitumor antibiotics. It stops the cancer cells from separating into two new cells, so it blocks the growth of cancer.
How is Idarubicin used?
- Idarubicin comes as a solution to be injected intravenously over 10 to 15 minutes by a doctor along with other chemotherapy medications.
- It is usually given once a day for 3 days.
- Your doctor may need to adjust your dose or change the schedule of your treatment if you experience some side effects.
- It is vital to inform your doctor how you are feeling during your treatment with this medication.
What are the possible side effects of Idarubicin?
- Loss of appetite and weight loss
- Bleeding gums, bruising, or nose bleeds
- Feeling sick
- Diarrhea
- Sore mouth
- Hair loss
- Heartburn or indigestion
- Headache
- Chills or high temperature
- Abdominal cramps
What are the precautions in using Idarubicin?
- While having this treatment, do not breastfeed.
- Do not receive any kind of vaccination or immunization without the approval of your doctor while taking Idarubicin.
- You may be more sensitive to sunlight, take extra care to avoid sun exposure.
- People who have already had high doses of this drug, those with congestive heart failure, and with long-lasting problems with blood counts cannot receive this medicine.
- Before starting this treatment, make sure you tell your doctor about any other medications you are taking. Do not take aspirin or products having aspirin unless your doctor permits this.
- You may be at risk of infection. Try to avoid people with colds and report any other signs of infection to your health care provider.
