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:

More common

  1. Fever and chills (occurring within 3 to 6 hours after a dose)

Less common

  1. Confusion
  2. faintness
  3. wheezing

Rare

  1. Chest pain (sudden severe)
  2. weakness in arms or legs (sudden)

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

More common

  1. Cough
  2. shortness of breath
  3. sores in mouth and on lips

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. Darkening or thickening of skin
  2. dark stripes on skin
  3. itching of skin
  4. skin rash or colored bumps on fingertips, elbows, or palms
  5. skin redness or tenderness
  6. swelling of fingers
  7. vomiting and loss of appetite

Less common

  1. Changes in fingernails or toenails
  2. weight loss

Bleomycin may cause a temporary loss of hair in some people. After treatment has ended, normal hair growth should return, although it may take several months.

Side effects that affect your lungs (for example, cough and shortness of breath) may be more likely to occur if you smoke.

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.

Reciba nuestro boletín informativo gratuito en español

El boletín informativo de Mayo Clinic en español es gratuito y se envía semanalmente por correo electrónico con consejos de salud, recetas deliciosas, descubrimientos médicos y más. Vea un ejemplo del correo electrónico e inscríbase a continuación.

Con el fin de proporcionarle la información más relevante y útil, y de entender qué información es beneficiosa, posiblemente combinemos tanto su correo electrónico como la información sobre el uso del sitio web con otro tipo de datos que tenemos acerca de usted. Si usted es un paciente de Mayo Clinic, esto puede incluir información confidencial de salud. Si se combinan esos datos con su información médica confidencial, toda esta información se tratará como información médica confidencial y solo se usará o revelará según lo descrito en nuestro aviso sobre políticas de privacidad. En cualquier momento, puede optar por no recibir las comunicaciones de correo electrónico si presiona en el mensaje el enlace para anular la suscripción.

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

Copyright: © Merative US L.P. 1973, 2024. All rights reserved. Information is for End User's use only and may not be sold, redistributed or otherwise used for commercial purposes.