Hydroxyurea, also called Hydroxycarbamide, a medication used in sickle cell disease is an antineoplastic (anti-cancer) agent used to treat melanoma, chronic myelogenous leukemia, and cervical cancer. It increases fetal hemoglobin and decreases attacks. This medication is used alone or with other medicines to treat some specific type of Leukemia (cancer in white blood cells) and a certain type of head and neck cancer.
Hydroxyurea side effects can be mild as well as severe. Hydroxycarbamide is used to decrease the need for blood transfusions in adults and children of 2 years and above age. A class of antimetabolites stops or slows the growth of cancer cells in your body. It helps treat sickle cell anemia by helping prevent the generation of sickle-shaped red blood cells
Hydroxyurea medicine uses
It treats cancer by slowing down or stopping the cancer cells’ growth in the patient’s body.
Hydroxyurea treats sickle cell anemia by helping prevent the formation or generation of sickle-shaped red blood cells. It comes as a capsule and tablet to be taken by mouth, take it as directed by your consulting doctor or usually, it is taken by mouth once a day. Changing the dose or taking less or more time as not advised can affect your health or can show severe side effects so be careful with the dosage, exactly follow what your doctor has suggested.
Depending upon your response to the treatment of Hydroxyurea can allow the doctor to change the dosage or alternate the medicines, share the feelings or effects with your doctor while taking the medication. Your consultant may suggest a vitamin capsule-like folic acid reduce the side effects caused by Hydroxyurea. Do not chew the capsule, directly swallow it, or do not crush them. There are 1000 mg and 500 mg and 100 mg tablets available for this medication which can be easily split into two parts if the issue is swallowing, do not break the 100 mg tablet. Ask your pharmacist or the doctor for details of taking the tablets.
Special Precautions to follow
Before taking hydroxyurea, inform your physician and pharmacist in case you are allergic to hydroxyurea, every other medicinal drug, or any of the inactive components in hydroxyurea tablets. Ask your pharmacist if he can do the listing of the components included in the medication. Inform your physician and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medicinal drugs, vitamins, dietary supplements, and natural merchandise you’re taking or planning to take.
Be certain to say any of the following: sure medicinal drugs for HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) inclusive of didanosine (Videx) and stavudine (Zerit) and interferon (Actimmune, Avonex, Betaseron, Infergen, Intron A, others). Your physician can also additionally want to extrude the doses of your medicinal drugs or display you cautiously for facet effects. Inform your physician when you have human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), received immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), excessive stages of uric acid for your blood, or leg ulcers; in case you are being dealt with or have ever been dealt with radiation therapy, most cancers chemotherapy, or hemodialysis; or when you have or have ever had kidney or liver disease.
Inform your physician if you are pregnant, planning to be pregnant, or breastfeeding. You need to now no longer end up pregnant or breastfeed at the same time as you’re taking hydroxyurea. You should consult your physician for a pre-pregnancy check before starting medication with Hydroxyurea. If you’re a girl, you need to use powerful start-management at the same time as taking hydroxyurea and for at least 6 months after preventing your remedy. If you’re a male, you and your girl accomplice need to use powerful start-management at the same time as taking hydroxyurea and for at least 6 months (Siklos) or at least 1 year (Droxia, Hydrea) after preventing your remedy.
Talk to your physician to start to manage techniques that you may use throughout and after your remedy and the way long you need to hold their use. If you end up pregnant at the same time as taking hydroxyurea, inform your physician immediately. Hydroxyurea can also additionally damage the fetus.
You need to realize that this remedy can also additionally lower fertility in men. Talk to your physician approximately the dangers of taking hydroxyurea.
Don’t go to have any vaccinations without speaking to your physician.
Hydroxyurea Side effects
Your doctor will suggest the best medicine to you according to his knowledge but different medicines can respond differently to every individual. As every medicine has its good and bad effects on health, some could be mild and others could be severe.
Some common Hydroxyurea side effects
- Sudden changes like Weight gain or weight loss
- Rashes on any part of the patient’s body
- Skin turning pale or discoloration after the medication
- Skin ulcer
- Frequent Dizziness or drowsiness
- Mucositis
- Stomach upset
- Symptoms of flu
- Vomiting sensation
- Feeling Nausea
- Light or severe Headache
- Hair loss
- Loss of appetite
- Diarrhea
- Sores in mouth or throat
- Changes in the skin or nails
Some serious Hydroxyurea side effects
- Faster heartbeats
- Discoloration of skin and eyes
- Pain in stomach
- Severe breathing problems
- Anemia
- Leukemia
- Myelosuppression
- Lowering of sudden platelets
- Gastric irritation
- Bruising
- Body aches
- Extreme tiredness
- Unusual bleeding
- Fever or chills
Note: This article only contains the possible list of hydroxyurea side effects that have been either studied or noticed after the usage. Anything additional to this should also be consulted with your doctor immediately.
Hydroxyurea, Memory loss and Chemotherapy
Let’s talk about the memory changes while a patient is taking Hydroxyurea medication. Memory is the ability for recalling information or remembering something, Short term memory usually helps you about a few moments earlier or an hour or so. Long-term memory helps you recall about a long time, like about your past, maybe your childhood or anything which was a long time back.
Beyond the mild memory loss problems at old age, the mind works slowly while retrieving the information. For example, recognizing faces, places, or names of people. However, some of the chemotherapy treatments do result in memory loss at different levels. Some of the symptoms may be:
- Having a problem remembering things that were held shortly or a long time ago
- Difficulty in concentrating or having focus at work
- The problem in learning new things, or forgetting a process of something you have tried and tested earlier
- Feeling restless at night, trouble in falling asleep at night
- Feeling more drowsy than usual
- Unwanted mood swings
- You may phase trouble handling money
- Confusion due to chemotherapy can cause a change in behavior unnoticed by yourself.
Loss of memory may last for a small or long period, which can affect your living and effects
maybe your quality of life. It would be recommended to consult your doctor for the same.
Can Hydroxyurea weaken your immunity system?
Hydroxyurea can weaken your immunity system. As it can cause sudden fever or chills, extreme tiredness, Loss of breath, faster heartbeat. You should consult your doctor if any of this worsens or persists while taking medications.
Is Hydroxyurea a blood thinner?
This medication can lower your white blood cells, but for a temporary time, which can also increase the chances of infection. Also resulting in the lowering of platelets, which are necessary for blood clotting.
What does Hydroxyurea do for Sickle cells?
Hydroxyurea helps maintain the size of red blood cells or make them larger. It helps them stay in their shape and stop turning them into a sickle shape. This medication helps in increasing Hemoglobin F (fetal hemoglobin) which is also found in newborn babies.
Storage and disposal measures for this medication
Keep the container tightly closed in the package it came in and especially out of the reach of children for Bicalutamide. Store it away from excess heat and moisture and also at room temperature. Used or not needed medicines should be safely disposed of to ensure that it does not come on contact or consumption by pets, children or maybe anyone else.
The best way to choose to dispose of it is through a medicine take-back program. Learn more about it through your pharmacist or contact your local recycling department. It is virtually crucial to preserve the containers out of reach of children avoiding misuse of it. Most containers are not child-resistant, so they can open or try it easily.
What other information should I know?
Inform or take this medication under the observation and guidance of your health consultant.
Do not allow anyone else to use the same medication- Hydroxyurea. Anyone in the family that affects the patient should avoid touching the medicines or bottle that contains medications. Ask your pharmacist about any questions related to refilling your prescription.
You should keep a list of other medicines whether prescribed or non-prescribed you are using simultaneously such as vitamins, minerals, any ayurvedic or herbal product, or any dietary supplements. It’s important to carry in case of any emergency or whenever needed.
Available Brand Names
Hydroxyurea is available in three different brands
- Hydrea
- Siklos
- Droxia
Disclaimer
We have tried our best to give every possible information about Hydroxyurea side effects which we mean to be correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as an instruction from a healthcare professional.
Patients should consult their doctor before consuming this medication, and avoid overdose or improper consumption. In case of any side effects be it short-term or long-term, kindly immediately call up your doctor for changing the dosage or medication of the treatments.
In the US- You can call up your medical consultant or a doctor for advice about side effects, you may also report FDA at 1-800 FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.