{"id":5191,"date":"2020-12-13T05:52:39","date_gmt":"2020-12-13T05:52:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/?p=5191"},"modified":"2021-08-03T07:55:08","modified_gmt":"2021-08-03T07:55:08","slug":"alkeran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/medicines\/alkeran\/","title":{"rendered":"Alkeran &#8211; Melphalan uses, dose and side effects"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p> 2 mg&nbsp;film-coated tablets&nbsp;<br>melphalan <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> 50 mg&nbsp;powder and solvent for&nbsp;injection, solution&nbsp;<br>melphalan <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. What Alkeran is and what it is used for<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Alkeran contains the active substance melphalan.&nbsp;Alkeran belongs to the group of&nbsp;chemotherapy drugs&nbsp;(also known as&nbsp;chemotherapy&nbsp;) and is used to treat certain types of cancer.&nbsp;It works by&nbsp;inhibiting&nbsp;cell growth and slowing down the continued growth of tumor cells.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alkeran is used in the treatment of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>multiple&nbsp;myeloma&nbsp;<\/strong>&#8211; cancer that affects a certain type of&nbsp;white blood cell, called plasma cells.&nbsp;Plasma cells help produce&nbsp;antibodies&nbsp;that participate in the body&#8217;s immune system.<\/li><li>advanced&nbsp;<strong>ovarian cancer<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Ask your doctor if you want more information about these diseases<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. What you need to know before using Alkeran<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do not take Alkeran:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>if you are allergic to melphalan or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6)<\/li><li>if you are breast-feeding.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Warnings and cautions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Talk to your doctor, pharmacist, or nurse before taking Alkeran if:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>you are receiving or have recently received radiation therapy or&nbsp;chemotherapy<\/li><li>if you have impaired kidney function<\/li><li>if you are going to be vaccinated or have recently been vaccinated.&nbsp;This is because some so-called live vaccines can give you an&nbsp;infection&nbsp;if you get them while you are being treated with Alkeran.<\/li><li>if you are taking combined&nbsp;contraceptive pills.&nbsp;This is due to the increased risk of blood clots.&nbsp;You should switch to another effective method of contraception.&nbsp;The risk of blood clots (venous thromboembolism) persists for 4-6 weeks after stopping the use of combined&nbsp;oral contraceptives.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Alkeran may increase the risk of developing other types of cancer.&nbsp;Your doctor will evaluate the benefits and risks of treatment before prescribing Alkeran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Other medicines and Alkeran<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken, or might take any other medicines.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The following medicines may affect or be affected by Alkeran:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>certain vaccines (See Warnings and Precautions)<\/li><li>nalidixic acid (an&nbsp;antibiotic&nbsp;used to treat&nbsp;infections&nbsp;)<\/li><li>cyclosporine (used, for example, to prevent organ rejection after a transplant or to treat&nbsp;psoriasis&nbsp;or rheumatism)<\/li><li>busulfan (&nbsp;cytostatics&nbsp;)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pregnancy, breastfeeding, and fertility<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor for advice before using this medicine.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pregnancy<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is a risk of fetal harm.&nbsp;Alkeran can harm sperm, eggs, and\/or an unborn baby.&nbsp;Reliable contraceptives must be used to avoid pregnancy while you or your partner are taking these tablets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are already pregnant, it is important to tell your doctor before taking Alkeran.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Breast-feeding<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do not breast-feed while you are receiving Alkeran.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fertility<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alkeran can harm sperm, eggs, and\/or an unborn baby.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In women, Alkeran can affect the ovaries, which can lead to&nbsp;infertility&nbsp;(inability to have children), and&nbsp;amenorrhea&nbsp;(missed periods).&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In men, Alkeran can affect sperm formation, which can lead to&nbsp;infertility&nbsp;(inability to have children).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is recommended that men receiving treatment with Alkeran should not become the father of a child during treatment and for up to six months after stopping treatment. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You may want to seek advice on sperm preservation before starting treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Driving and using machines<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You are responsible for assessing whether you are fit to drive a motor vehicle or perform work that requires sharp attention.&nbsp;One of the factors that can affect your ability in these respects is the use of drugs due to their effects and\/or&nbsp;side effects.&nbsp;Descriptions of these effects and&nbsp;side effects&nbsp;can be found in other sections.&nbsp;Read all the information in this leaflet for guidance.&nbsp;If you are not sure, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to use Alkeran<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you.&nbsp;Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you are unsure.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your doctor will tell you how many tablets to take and how often to take them.&nbsp;When you take Alkeran, your doctor will take regular blood tests.&nbsp;This is done to control the number of&nbsp;blood cells.&nbsp;This can sometimes lead to your doctor changing your&nbsp;dose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Multiple&nbsp;Myeloma<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The recommended&nbsp;dose&nbsp;is 0.15 mg\/kg body weight per day for four days.&nbsp;This treatment is repeated every six weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Ovarian cancer<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The recommended&nbsp;dose&nbsp;is 0.2 mg\/kg body weight per day for 5 days.&nbsp;This treatment is repeated every four to eight weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Swallow your tablets whole with a glass of water.&nbsp;If the film coating on the tablets is undamaged, there is no risk of adverse effects during handling.&nbsp;The tablets should not be split, crushed, or chewed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">If you forget to take Alkeran:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Inform your doctor.&nbsp;Do not take a double&nbsp;dose&nbsp;to make up for a forgotten&nbsp;dose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have any further questions on the use of this product, ask your doctor, pharmacist, or nurse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Possible side effects<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Like all medicines, this medicine can cause&nbsp;side effects, although not everybody gets them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you experience any of the following&nbsp;side effects, contact your doctor or hospital immediately:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022&nbsp;allergic reaction.&nbsp;The characters may include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211;&nbsp;urticaria,&nbsp;pruritus<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; swelling of the face, tongue, or throat<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; shortness of breath and feeling of tightness in the chest<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The allergic reaction&nbsp;has been reported in rare cases (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 blood effects such as decreased number of red and&nbsp;white blood cells,&nbsp;platelets,&nbsp;or&nbsp;anemia.&nbsp;The characters may include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; unexpected bruising or bleeding<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; abnormal fatigue, dizziness, or shortness of breath<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; sudden feeling of illness (even with normal body temperature).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>signs of&nbsp;infection&nbsp;such as sore throat<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Blood effects have been reported as a very common side effect (may affect more than 1 user in 10).<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 blood clot (deep&nbsp;vein thrombosis&nbsp;), with symptoms such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; pain, swelling, and tenderness in the legs, usually in the calf muscles<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>hot and red skin in the affected area<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 blood clot in the lung (&nbsp;pulmonary embolism&nbsp;), the symptoms may be one or more of the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; chest pain<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>shortness of breath that may occur suddenly<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; cough<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; feeling dizzy<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; sweating<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>fainting<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Deep vein thrombosis and&nbsp;pulmonary embolism&nbsp;have been reported (occurring in an unknown number of users).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00b6<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The following&nbsp;side effects&nbsp;may also occur with this medicine:<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Very common (may affect more than 1 user in 10)&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea<\/li><li>inflammation&nbsp;of the mouth (&nbsp;stomatitis&nbsp;)<\/li><li>hair loss.<\/li><li>missed periods in women (&nbsp;amenorrhea&nbsp;)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people)&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>blood cancer (&nbsp;leukemia&nbsp;)<\/li><li>high levels of&nbsp;urea&nbsp;in the blood &#8211; in people with kidney damage who are being treated for&nbsp;myeloma.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rare (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>lung diseases that can be serious and life-threatening with a dry cough, shortness of breath, and fever (interstitial&nbsp;pneumonitis,&nbsp;pulmonary&nbsp;fibrosis&nbsp;)<\/li><li>liver effects such as hepatitis or jaundice (yellowing of the whites of the eyes and skin)<\/li><li>rash,&nbsp;itching.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Has been reported (occurs in an unknown number of users):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>in men: the absence of sperm in the semen (&nbsp;azoospermia&nbsp;).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Reporting of side effects<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist, or nurse.&nbsp;This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet.&nbsp;You can also report side effects directly to the Medical Products Agency,&nbsp;www.lakemedelsverket.se.&nbsp;By reporting side effects, you can help increase drug safety information.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. How to store Alkeran<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.<\/li><li>Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the carton after \u201cEXP\u201d.&nbsp;The expiration date is the last day of the specified month.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Store in a refrigerator (2 \u00baC &#8211; 8 \u00baC).<br><\/li><li>Medicines should not be disposed of via wastewater or household waste.&nbsp;Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of medicines no longer required.&nbsp;These measures will help to protect the environment.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. Contents of the packaging and other information<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Content declaration<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The active substance is melphalan.&nbsp;Each tablet contains 2 mg of melphalan.<\/li><li>The other ingredients are microcrystalline cellulose, crospovidone,&nbsp;colloidal anhydrous silica, magnesium stearate, hypromellose, macrogol, titanium dioxide (dye E 171).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What the medicine looks like and the contents of the pack<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alkeran tablets are white to off-white, round, biconvex, and film-coated marked on one side with an \u201cA\u201d and on the other side with \u201cGX EH3\u201d.&nbsp;The tablets are supplied in a brown glass jar with a child-resistant lid containing 25 or 50 tablets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Marketing Authorization Holder and Manufacturer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Marketing Authorisation Holder:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aspen Pharma Trading Limited<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3016 Lake Drive,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Citywest Business Campus<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dublin 24, Ireland<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Manufacturer:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Excella GmbH &amp; Co.&nbsp;KG<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>N\u00fcrnberger Strasse 12,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>90537 Moisture,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Germany<br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alkeran contains the active substance melphalan. Alkeran belongs to the group of chemotherapy drugs (also known as chemotherapy ) and is used to treat certain types of cancer. It works by inhibiting cell growth and slowing down the continued growth of tumor cells.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2201,2200],"tags":[10961,10964,10960,10955,10958,10959,10965,10963,10962,10956,10957],"class_list":["post-5191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a","category-medicines","tag-alkeran","tag-alkeran-tablet","tag-benefit-of-melphalan","tag-melphalan","tag-melphalan-tablet","tag-side-effects-melphalan","tag-side-effects-of-alkeran","tag-what-alkeran-is-used-for","tag-what-is-alkeran","tag-what-is-melphalan","tag-what-melphalan-is-used-for"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5191","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5191"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5191\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12871,"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5191\/revisions\/12871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}