Precautions

Drug information provided by: Merative, Micromedex®

It is very important that your doctor check your progress at regular visits while you are using this medicine. This will allow your doctor to see if the medicine is working properly and to decide if you should continue to take it. Blood and urine tests may be needed to check for unwanted effects.

Using this medicine while you are pregnant can harm your unborn baby. Women must have a negative pregnancy test before starting this medicine. Use an effective form of birth control during treatment and for at least 30 days after the last dose to prevent pregnancy. If you think you have become pregnant while using this medicine, tell your doctor right away.

Do not use this medicine together with clarithromycin, conivaptan, indinavir, itraconazole, ketoconazole, lopinavir, posaconazole, ritonavir, telaprevir, and voriconazole. Using these medicines together may cause serious unwanted effects.

This medicine may cause a serious type of reaction called tumor lysis syndrome. Your doctor may give you a medicine to help prevent this. Call your doctor right away if you have a decrease or change in urine amount, joint pain, stiffness, or swelling, lower back, side, or stomach pain, a rapid weight gain, swelling of the feet or lower legs, or unusual tiredness or weakness.

This medicine may cause serious infections, including pneumonia (lung infection) and sepsis (blood infection), which can be life-threatening. Check with your doctor if you have symptoms of an infection such as a fever, chills, body aches, or sore throat. This medicine may decrease the amount of white blood cells in the blood. White blood cells help your immune system fight infections. Avoid being near people who are sick or have infections. Wash your hands often. Stay away from rough sports or other situations where you could be bruised, cut, or injured.

While you are being treated with venetoclax, and after you stop treatment with it, do not have any immunizations (vaccines) without your doctor's approval. Venetoclax may lower your body's resistance and the vaccine may not work as well or you might get the infection the vaccine is meant to prevent. In addition, you should not be around other persons living in your household who receive live virus vaccines because there is a chance they could pass the virus on to you. Some examples of live vaccines include measles, mumps, influenza (nasal flu vaccine), poliovirus (oral form), rotavirus, and rubella. Do not get close to them and do not stay in the same room with them for very long. If you have questions about this, talk to your doctor.

Talk with your doctor before using this medicine if you plan to have children. Some men who use this medicine may become infertile (unable to have children).

Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This includes prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicines and herbal (eg, St. John's wort) or vitamin supplements.

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Portions of this document last updated: April 01, 2024

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