Busulfan Side Effects and Warnings

What are the precautions when taking this medicine?

• Talk with healthcare provider before receiving any vaccinations. Use with this medicine may either increase the risk of serious infection or make the vaccination less effective.

• You may bleed more easily. Be careful. Avoid injury. Use soft toothbrush, electric razor.

• Check medicines with healthcare provider. This medicine may not mix well with other medicines.

• Talk with healthcare provider before using aspirin, aspirin-containing products, other pain medicines, blood thinners, garlic, ginseng, ginkgo, or vitamin E.

• Avoid grapefruit and grapefruit juice.

• Avoid alcohol (includes wine, beer, and liquor).

• Use birth control that you can trust to prevent pregnancy while taking this medicine.

• If you are a male and sexually active, protect your partner from pregnancy. Use birth control that you can trust.

What are some possible side effects of this medicine?

• Risk of infection. Avoid people with infections, colds, or flu.

• Anemia, low white blood cell count, and low platelet count.

• Nausea or vomiting. Small frequent meals, frequent mouth care, sucking hard, sugar-free candy, or chewing sugar-free gum may help.

• Headache.

• Diarrhea.

• Skin irritation.

• Hair loss. Hair usually grows back when medicine is stopped.

• Infertility.

• Lung damage can rarely occur.

Reasons to call healthcare provider immediately

• If you suspect an overdose, call your local poison control center or emergency department immediately.

• Signs of a life-threatening reaction. These include wheezing; chest tightness; fever; itching; bad cough; blue skin color; fits; or swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat.

• Signs or symptoms of infection. These include a fever of 100.5 degrees or higher, chills, severe sore throat, ear or sinus pain, cough, increased sputum or change in color, painful urination, mouth sores, wound that will not heal, or anal itching or pain.

• Difficulty breathing.

• Fast heartbeat.

• Severe belly pain.

• Severe nausea or vomiting.

• Severe diarrhea.

• Persistent cough.

• Not able to eat.

• Unusual bruising or bleeding.

• Dark urine or yellow skin or eyes.

• Feeling extremely tired or weak.

• Any rash.

• No improvement in condition or feeling worse.