Side Effects

Drug information provided by: Merative, Micromedex®

Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Also, because of the way these medicines act on the body, there is a chance that they might cause other unwanted effects that may not occur until months or years after the medicine is used. These delayed effects may include certain types of cancer, such as leukemia. Discuss these possible effects with your doctor.

Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur:

Less common

  1. Black, tarry stools
  2. blood in urine
  3. cough or hoarseness
  4. fever or chills
  5. lower back or side pain
  6. painful or difficult urination
  7. pinpoint red spots on skin
  8. unusual bleeding or bruising

Check with your doctor as soon as possible if any of the following side effects occur:

More common

  1. Sores in mouth and on lips

Less common

  1. Joint pain
  2. numbness or tingling in fingers, toes, or face
  3. swelling of feet or lower legs
  4. unusual tiredness

Rare

  1. Bone or muscle pain
  2. chest pain
  3. decrease in urination
  4. difficulty in swallowing
  5. fainting spells
  6. general feeling of discomfort or illness or weakness
  7. heartburn
  8. irregular heartbeat
  9. pain at place of injection
  10. reddened eyes
  11. shortness of breath
  12. skin rash
  13. weakness
  14. yellow eyes or skin

Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:

More common

  1. Loss of appetite
  2. nausea and vomiting

Less common or rare

  1. Diarrhea
  2. dizziness
  3. headache
  4. itching of skin
  5. skin freckling

This medicine may cause a temporary loss of hair in some people. After treatment with cytarabine has ended, normal hair growth should return.

After you stop using this medicine, it may still produce some side effects that need attention. During this period of time, check with your doctor immediately if you notice the following side effects:

Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Portions of this document last updated: Feb. 01, 2024

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