Only veins should be used to give doxorubicin. It could, however, leak into nearby tissue and cause serious harm or irritation. Your administration site will be observed by your doctor or nurse for this reaction. Call your doctor right away if you suffer any of the following signs and symptoms in the area where the drug was injected: pain, itching, redness, swelling, blisters, or sores.

Any time throughout your treatment or months to years after it has completed, doxorubicin has the potential to develop serious or life-threatening heart issues. To determine whether your heart is functioning properly enough for you to safely receive doxorubicin, your doctor will prescribe tests both before and throughout your treatment. These tests could involve an electrocardiogram (ECG), which records the electrical activity of the heart, and an echocardiogram, which gauges the heart’s capacity to pump blood using sound waves. If you have an abnormal heart rate or the results of testing indicate that your heart’s capacity to pump blood has decreased, your doctor could advise against taking this drug. Any form of cardiac illness, a heart attack, or radiation (x-ray) therapy to the chest should be disclosed to your doctor. Inform your doctor and pharmacist if you are currently taking or have ever taken any of the following cancer chemotherapy drugs: paclitaxel (Abraxane, Onxol), cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan), daunorubicin (Cerubidine, DaunoXome), epirubicin (Ellence), idarubicin (Idamycin), mitoxantrone (Novantrone), trastuzumab (Her (Calan, Isoptin). Call your doctor right away if you have any of the following symptoms: breathing difficulties, hand, foot, ankle, or lower leg edoema, or a rapid, erratic, or pounding heartbeat.

The amount of blood cells in your bone marrow may drastically decline as a result of doxorubicin treatment. Prior to and throughout your treatment, your doctor will frequently order laboratory testing. A reduction in blood cell count in your body may result in certain symptoms and raise your risk of bleeding or serious infection. Inform your physician and pharmacist if you are currently taking or have recently taken progesterone, methotrexate (Rheumatrex), azathioprine (Imuran), or cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune) (Provera, Depo-Provera). Call your doctor right away if you experience any of the following symptoms: fever, sore throat, persistent cough, congestion, or other infection-related symptoms; unusual bleeding or bruising; bloody or black, tarry stools; bloody vomit; or vomiting blood or brown material that resembles coffee grounds.

Your risk of developing leukaemia (cancer of the white blood cells) may increase if you take doxorubicin, particularly if you do so at high dosages or when you combine it with specific other chemotherapy drugs and radiation therapy.

If you have liver illness now or ever had it, let your doctor know. If you have liver illness, your doctor could advise against using this drug or adjust your dose.

Only a medical professional with experience using chemotherapy drugs should administer doxorubicin.

In addition to certain types of leukaemia (cancer of the white blood cells), including acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukaemia, doxorubicin is also used to treat certain types of bladder, breast, lung, stomach, and ovarian cancer, Hodgkin’s disease, non-lymphoma, Hodgkin’s and Hodgkin’s lymphoma (AML, ANLL). Additionally, doxorubicin is used both alone and in conjunction with other drugs to treat specific types of soft tissue or bone sarcomas as well as specific types of thyroid cancer (cancer that forms in muscles and bones). Additionally, it is used to treat Wilms’ tumour and neuroblastoma, a cancer that starts in nerve cells and primarily affects children (a type of kidney cancer that occurs in children). Doxorubicin belongs to the anthracycline drug class. It functions by reducing or halting the development of cancer cells within your body.

Doxorubicin is available as a liquid solution or as a powder that must be mixed with liquid before being administered intravenously (into a vein) by a physician or nurse in a healthcare setting. Typically, it is administered once every 21 to 28 days. The sort of drugs you are taking, how well your body reacts to them, and the type of cancer you have will all affect how long your treatment will last.

For a copy of the manufacturer’s information for the patient, ask your pharmacist or doctor.

Doxorubicin is also occasionally used to treat cancers of the liver, pancreas, adrenocortical (cancer in the adrenal glands), uterine, endometrial, and cervix, as well as Kaposi’s sarcoma linked to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), prostate, pancreas, and pancreatic cancer. Children’s Ewing’s sarcoma, mesothelioma, multiple myeloma, chronic lymphoblastic leukaemia, and bone marrow cancers are all examples of cancers that affect the bones (CLL; a type of cancer of the white blood cells). The dangers of using this drug for your illness should be discussed with your doctor.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more details if you believe this drug should be used for something else.

Before receiving doxorubicin injection,

• If you have an allergy to doxorubicin, daunorubicin (Cerubidine, DaunoXome), epirubicin (Ellence), idarubicin (Idamycin), any other drugs, or any of the components in doxorubicin injection, let your doctor and pharmacist know right once. Request a list of the components from your pharmacist.
• Inform your doctor and pharmacist about any additional prescription and over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, dietary supplements, and herbal products you are now taking or intend to use. Mention any of the following medications as well as those in the IMPORTANT WARNING section if applicable: phenobarbital (Luminal Sodium), phenytoin, or some chemotherapy drugs such cytarabine (DepoCyt), dexrazoxane (Zinecard), mercaptopurine (Purinethol), and streptozocin (Zanosar) (Dilantin). Your physician might need to adjust the dosage of your drugs or keep a close eye on you for side effects. Tell your doctor about all of the drugs you are taking, even any not on this list, as other drugs may also interact with doxorubicin.
• If you currently have or have ever had any other medical conditions, let your doctor know.
• Doxorubicin may interfere with a woman’s regular menstrual cycle (period) and may prevent sperm from being produced in males. You shouldn’t, however, presumptuously believe that you or another person cannot become pregnant. Before starting this medication, women should disclose to their doctors whether they are pregnant or nursing. While having doxorubicin injection, you shouldn’t get pregnant or breastfeed. Call your doctor if you conceive while taking doxorubicin. To prevent conception, use a proven birth control method. The foetus could suffer from doxorubicin.
• Avoid getting any shots without first consulting your doctor.

Keep eating normally unless your doctor instructs you otherwise.

There may be negative effects from doxorubicin. If any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away, let your doctor know right once:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• In the mouth and throat sores
• Reduced appetite (and weight loss)
• Gaining weight
• Abdominal pain
• Diarrhea
• Heightened thirst
• Unusual weakness or fatigue
• Dizziness
• Hair fall
• Toenail or fingernail separation from the nail bed
• Inflamed, watery, itchy, or red eyes
• Eye discomfort
• Having tingling, burning, or pain in your hands or feet
• Urine colouring with a red tint (for 1 to 2 days after dose)

Some adverse effects can be very harmful. Call your doctor right away if you have any of these signs or any of those in the IMPORTANT WARNING section:

• Hives
• Itching
• Skin rash
• Breathing or swallowing challenges
• Seizures

Other negative effects of doxorubicin are possible. If you experience any strange issues while taking this medicine, contact your doctor right away.

You or your doctor can submit a report to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting programme online or by phone if you have a serious side event (1-800-332-1088).

Call the poison control hotline at 1-800-222-1222 in the event of an overdose. Additionally, information can be found online at https://www.poisonhelp.org/help. Call 911 right once if the person has collapsed, experienced a seizure, is having difficulty breathing, or cannot be roused.

Overdose signs could include the following:

• In the mouth and throat sores
• Fever, chills, sore throat, or other symptoms of infection
• Uncommon bruising or bleeding
• Seats that are dark and tarry
• Blood in the faeces, red
• Bloody poop
• Vomited substance that resembles coffee grounds

Keep all of your appointments with your physician and the lab. To determine how your body is responding to doxorubicin, your doctor will prescribe a number of tests.

You should keep a written record of every medication you take, including any over-the-counter (OTC) items, prescription drugs, and dietary supplements like vitamins and minerals. This list should be brought with you whenever you see a doctor or are admitted to the hospital. You should always have this information with you in case of emergencies.